Cestus Sol
by MadPanda
Summary: Post vol 38. Saffron's death triggers an unlikely turn of events. Rated PG13 for caution. A bit of SI, a lot of OOC possible. Enjoy.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: You know the drill: this is a work of fan fiction. I don't own Ranma. I don't own Exalted. Don't beg your Exalted GM to let you get away with any of this. In the interests of telling a good story, rules will be broken, canon material will be kapowied, and ideas will be mangled in the rotating teeth of a handy dandy plot device. C&C accepted. Flames will be used as a scratching post by my cat.  
  
Cestus Sol  
A Ranma/Exalted RPG crossover courtesy of the MadPanda  
  
Prelude  
  
Urvasi the Apsara, known as the Qiling for no reason that any mortal savant ever learned, looked down upon the gradually congregating youth of this odd place and grumbled to herself about the injustice of life. She was footsore, weary, tired, dirty, frustrated, and at the end of her patience. Eight months she had been abroad in search of the mortal man who had laid low Lord Saffron of Phoenix Mountain. Eight long unproductive months wasted chasing after a mere mortal who clearly did not want to be found...and all so that he could be given a token he would not recognize as his, possibly not even want. "Mother and her stupid plans and silly promises," the girl thought bitterly. This "Furinken High" place would be the final straw—if her quarry was here, she would do as she had been instructed. If not, she was going back home, and her mother could just find another errand girl! Perhaps one of her older sisters would have better fortune out here in the new age.  
The students below were now stepping clear of one of their number—a tall and arrogant young man with a wooden practice sword gripped in his hands. He was proclaiming something at the top of his lungs and gesturing to two new arrivals: a boy in a bright red shirt and black pants, and a girl in the same uniform worn by the other students. From up here on the roof, Urvasi could only make out a few words. From sheer boredom, she paid attention to what reached her perch on the rooftop. It was some long- winded garbage about a foul sorcerer holding a fierce tigress and a pigtailed goddess in bondage mixed in with declarations of the slow but sure vengeance of the heavens. The little god-blooded girl giggled to hear that: slow and unsure was more like it.  
Just then, the boy in the red silk shirt must have tired of the stick- wielder's speech. He moved. The other boy flew back, hit the wall, and collapsed. The boy in red stepped over his opponent's fallen form and walked into the school, leaving the girl to follow.  
Urvasi blinked. That martial artist looked familiar, somehow.  
"Ranma, you jerk!" The shorthaired girl now chased after her companion. She too trampled the fallen figure. Nobody had moved to help him, so Urvasi guessed that this was either a common occurrence, or the pompous fool deserved his beatings.  
Ranma. That was the name of the mortal who slew Saffron, according to his people. Pulling back from the edge of the roof, she opened her satchel and rooted around for the memory crystal. Finding it, she spoke the words that activated its latent magic. For some time she stared at the image it projected. There was no mistaking the resemblance: he was the one she sought.  
For the first time in eight months, Urvasi laughed in genuine joy and relief. Her work was nearly finished. A delivery, an explanation, and then...then Mother had promised Urvasi the one thing she truly wanted. She knew what to do now. She would follow him, find an appropriate moment, and deliver both the token and the stolen destiny she carried. Mother would be pleased with her. Her sisters would have to respect her. And the mortal would no doubt be thankful. They always were.  
Slipping away across the roof, Urvasi decided to go and try this 'ice cream' stuff about which she heard so often. She would easily be back in time to catch her quarry on his way home after school, and there would be time enough later for work.  
  
End Prelude  
Continued in Chapter One  
  
Author's Notes: 1. Urvasi is the name of one of the Apsaras, or Dancers of Joy, in Hindu mythology. The epithet Qiling has no connection to her beyond being interesting: as near as I can tell, Chinese unicorns have nothing to do with Hindu goddesses. 2. My Exalted RPG players know this little lass and her mercurial mother all too well, and Ranma has their full sympathy and support for what he is about to undergo. 3. I have no idea how far this is going to go before I run out of steam, but there are a couple of side stories that already wrote themselves. 


	2. The Qiling Rings Once

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. I don't own Ranma. I don't own Exalted. Do NOT beg your Exalted GM to let you get away with any of this. In the interests of telling a good story, rules will be broken, canon material will be ka-powied, and ideas will be mangled in the rotating teeth of a handy dandy plot device. C&C accepted. Flames will be used as a scratching post by my cat.  
  
Cestus Sol A Ranma/Exalted RPG crossover from the MadPanda  
  
Chapter One: The Qiling Rings Once  
  
The last bell at Furinkan High sounded, and with a heartfelt yawn and a stretch, Saotome Ranma chalked up another typical, boring, wasted day in the unhallowed school halls of his so-called life. It had actually been a pretty good day so far. Oh, Miss Hiniko tried to drain him for one reason or another, and Akane growled at him with her usual ferocity, but the fanatical fiancée scramble had lightened up of late. Okay, maybe not, but at the least Ukyo and Shampoo were avoiding him right now. He still hadn't forgiven them for interrupting the wedding with bomb and bonbori ...he didn't often hold grudges, and certainly not for months on end, but this had been a special occasion. Ukyo and Shampoo understood this, or seemed to, and cut him slack and space accordingly. Not that he wanted to be married to the tomboy, but he had caught the brunt of the blame-storm that followed their little interruption. Akane was still acting like it was entirely his fault her precious wedding was ruined, the two old men were endlessly plotting new schemes meant to further their goal over his dead body, the various rivals still pursued his body or blood, and he was running on empty: no reserves of patience left. If he had half of Ryoga's memory for slights and insults, or a tenth of Akane's temper, heads would have flown ages ago!  
He had killed a god, for crying out loud! He didn't want to, he hadn't liked it, he hoped never to be pushed that far again if he lived longer than the Old Ghoul...so why did they keep pushing him? Did they want him to lose control or something?  
Today Akane was letting him have some peace and quiet. She had been miffed at him for no clear and understandable reason and instead of coming home with him, she had declared that she was going off to study with her little friends. After a token protest, he let her go. He didn't want to argue with her right now, and besides that meant he could almost relax and enjoy a leisurely stroll home along the top of the walls and fences between school and dojo.  
Yeah, almost relaxed: he hadn't told Akane, but he had the creepy feeling that he was being followed around. It wasn't that Gosunkugi kid, nor any of Nabiki's former little helpers, nor Konatsu or Satsuke. He could spot any of them a mile away. This was something different. Something new. Strangely enough, the new presence didn't feel like a threat...and even as he had felt this to be true, he wondered how he knew it. Wishful thinking, maybe?  
The other slipper dropped about four blocks away from the Tendo compound. He heard a bright, musical giggle and looked up to find a little girl, maybe ten or eleven, looking down at him from the top of a streetlight. She kicked her feet playfully and then pushed off, landing before him with grace and ease.  
Ranma slid into a deceptively relaxed ready stance nonetheless.  
"Peace, warrior," she chirped brightly. "I mean you neither harm nor hindrance." She held her arms out to her sides, palms toward him. "I give my word of honor that I have business with you, but no quarrel."  
Ranma considered this. She carried no weapon that he could see. That didn't mean much—neither did he. Her current stance was quite non- combative...but so was his. She had business with him? That was a bad sign!  
"You ain't another fiancée, are ya?"  
She threw her head back and laughed.  
"Certainly not! Why? Have you need of one?"  
"No way!"  
"Well, then. I have an item of yours, warrior, and my lady bids me return it to you. May I approach and thus dispose my charge?"  
"Uhm...you mean you wanna give me something?"  
The girl grinned. "Indeed."  
"What's the catch?"  
"A wise question. So far as I know, there is none such in and of the thing itself."  
"But it might cause trouble? I mean, it ain't cursed or nothin', is it?"  
The girl shrugged. "There is trouble lurking in all things, warrior."  
Ranma thought about that for a moment before he grinned back at her. "Ya gotta point, there, little girl."  
"You may call me Urvasi, if it comforts you to do so."  
"That's your name?"  
"It is." She bowed slightly and held something out to him, clenched in her tiny fist. "And this, it is yours."  
Almost without thinking, he reached out and allowed her to place it in the palm of his hand: a silver ring on a chain with a peculiar inscription running around the band. Ranma blinked in confusion. He was certain he'd never seen it before, but it was strangely familiar  
"This, uh, I dunno how to tell ya, uh, Urvasi, but this ain't mine..."  
"Oh, but it is! I was most careful to make certain of this. But if you are not comfortable with the thought, do not feel you must wear it to please me."  
"Hunh?"  
Urvasi tilted her head and smiled up at him.  
"My lady bade me return it unto you, not to force it onto your hand." She bowed again. "There is one other thing, but it may wait until the morrow's dawning. May I seek you out at the proper time?"  
Ranma blinked, stumbled over an answer, and finally nodded, feeling very much as if he had missed most of this conversation.  
"Very well. On the morrow, then."  
She bowed again, turned, and nimbly hopped away, almost dancing across the rooftops. Behind her, Ranma just shook his head and headed home, putting Urvasi (and the ring) as far out of his mind as possible until he could devote a little quiet time to working out the puzzle they presented. With his luck, it could be weeks before that would happen! Heaving a heartfelt sigh, the young champion resumed his journey back to the Tendo home.  
  
End Chapter One. To Be Continued.  
  
Tune in next time when Genma gets a smackdown, Urvasi gets confused, and Ranma has a bad feeling about that ring.  
  
Author's Note: Is Ranma more thoughtful and less kinetic than usual? You betcha. Is he OOC? Probably. Is there too much talking? Almost certainly. Bear with me, action fans. The high-octane stuff is coming. No, Urvasi is not another fiancée. Not that Ranma will believe this until it is proven otherwise, but would you blame him? Genma's done it before. 


	3. Strangely Met By Starlight

Disclaimer: You know the drill: this is a work of fan fiction. I don't own Ranma. I don't own Exalted. Don't beg your Exalted GM to let you get away with any of this—she has enough to worry about with the new magic supplement. In the interests of telling a good story, rules will be broken, canon material will be sent on a brief flight via trebuchet, and ideas will be mangled by my cat, who is really more of a wolverine disguised as a housecat. Signed reviews or C&C accepted. Flames will be sent to the 'No SASE' ogres who used to work for TSR.  
  
Cestus Sol A Ranma/Exalted RPG crossover from the MadPanda  
  
Chapter Two: Strangely Met By Starlight  
  
Several hours later, Ranma found a few moments of badly needed refuge up on the roof. Gazing out at the stars, he mulled over the evening's madness. He could almost imagine a vengeful _kami_ somewhere, waiting to throw a ready list of rivals and other problems his way.  
  
"Whichever one of you I ticked off, enough already, I'm sorry..."  
  
First thing in the door, the two old fools had bombarded him with demands and accusations—where was Akane? Why was he ignoring his true fiancée? How dare he leave her behind? And so on, and so forth. Did they listen to him explain that she was studying? Ha! Then his mother started up her 'that's not very manly' crap again. He hated it when she did that, but what could he say?  
  
Maybe an hour after that, Ryoga had ambushed him, frothing at the mouth about Akane crying because of him. He'd heard it all before...and just didn't feel like arguing with the navigationally challenged boy. Genma suddenly found himself placed in the way of a descending umbrella strike, which put the balding man through the _shogi_ table and into the floor.  
  
"Good shot, Porky. But I'm over here," Ranma grinned.  
  
"Damn you, Ranma!" Ryoga yelled, as usual, and hefted his umbrella to prepare a proper greeting for his rival and onetime friend. In that brief envelope of opportunity, Ranma decided to merely get Ryoga back out of the house...and P-chan promptly went over the wall, courtesy of a well- aimed kick to the chest.  
  
Mousse and Kodachi showed up around the time Ryoga took his brief domestic flight. Fortunately they tangled with each other instead, and he could get them out of the yard more effectively. Their arrival had sparked another round of loud fatherly lecturing from Soun, more commentary from his mother, and snide asides from Nabiki. All of this, all from people who couldn't or wouldn't defend themselves, Ranma took with uncharacteristically stoic silence. He was so tired of this, and it did so little good to defend himself...  
  
And the worst part of it was, none of the usuals were much of a challenge anymore. He could have beaten Ryoga without even paying attention. Mousse wasn't even close unless he kept his glasses on, which he just wouldn't do. As for Kuno Kodachi...she had never been able to keep up with him in the first place. Soun wasn't much of a martial artist, and his father hadn't won a sparring session since that mess at Phoenix Mountain. Didn't they remember what he had done to Saffron? Didn't they care that he might lose control?  
  
Apparently they did not.  
  
To escape from the incessant nagging, he retreated to the one place where few would follow. It wasn't much, but it was something...and besides, the stars were one constant in his life that didn't bring him trouble.  
  
He heard the front door slam, followed by Akane's bellow of "I'm home!" What conversation followed this, he did not know, but the words 'pervert' and 'jerk' reached him just the same. So did yet another round of Soun's incessant blubbering about how the schools would never be joined. He didn't even bother to ask what the problem might be this time. It didn't matter. It was always Ranma's fault, whatever it was. He clenched his fists in frustration and silently repeated his futile plea to the _kami_, the stars, and the night.  
  
"Why do you remain?"  
  
Ranma whirled around. Urvasi sat just a little ways away from him, her spindly little arms folded in her lap, looking as if she'd been there for some time.  
  
"Oh. It's you."  
  
"Why do you remain here, warrior?"  
  
"I dunno. Got nowhere else to go, I guess. Can't move back in with Momma, 'cause I'm still enrolled at Furinkan. I can't just leave, 'cause they'll come after me. And this is the closest thing to a home I've had in...hey, what're ya doin' here, Urvasi-chan? Ain't it past bedtime for little girls?"  
  
She giggled. "Forgive my intrusion. I was curious about you, about what sort of man you have become in this Age."  
  
"Uhm, yeah, whatever." He shuffled uneasily. "Just keep it down, though. Akane gets jealous of the stupidest stuff. If she hears ya, she'll assume you're another fiancée and that I'm doin' perverted stuff with ya."  
  
"That would be the noisy short-haired girl?"  
  
"That's the uncute tomboy, yep."  
  
"She lacks discipline."  
  
Ranma laughed. He couldn't help it—the little girl was so serious, her voice so deadpan, that he had to laugh. She joined him, clearly not knowing why, but sharing his good humor and joy in the release regardless.  
  
"Even a kid can spot that? She's worse than I thought!"  
  
"As a warrior? Certainly. Perhaps she has other strengths. Skill in battle is not everything." Again, Urvasi nodded solemnly. "That must be it. She tries too hard to be what she is not, and thus her anger grows. An all too common trait, and it renders most impatient and unpleasant. Most unfortunate."  
  
"And what are you, Urvasi-chan?"  
  
"My mother's daughter."  
  
"Oh." Ranma thought this over. "Ya say that like it's a bad thing."  
  
"It is not always pleasant. May I ask you a question, warrior?"  
  
"Ranma."  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"My name's Ranma. I kinda like it. Way more than 'warrior'."  
  
Urvasi grinned, and Ranma's heart sank. There was just no way, no way at all, that this little tyke with her strange wisdom wasn't somehow another fiancee! He was doomed.  
  
"Very well, Ranma it is. If you were to be offered a place of refuge, one for your use alone, freely granted as if it were your right...would you accept it?"  
  
He thought about it.  
  
"What's the catch?"  
  
"There is none, save that you should have to defend it...and those to whom you favor with your protection. But that is all part of being a martial artist, is it not?"  
  
"Yeah, protect the weak, defend the helpless..."  
  
"Duty and honor. To you, I see they are not mere words." She 'hmph'ed softly and got to her feet. "I cry your pardon, Ranma. I came here to observe you, to learn. I had questions that are now answered. In that, I have perhaps wronged you by acting against my own word."  
  
"Nah, don't worry about it. Long as ya ain't another fiancee, I can live with it."  
  
Urvasi bowed. "I have...one other item that is yours. I was going to give it to you tomorrow morning, but...here." She reached into her satchel and pulled out a small crystal globe about the size of a baseball. Light flickered wildly in the depths of the small orb. "Please, bring this with you when we meet in the morning."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Something wonderful."  
  
"Magic?"  
  
"If you like, then yes. It is not dangerous."  
  
"This is mine, too?"  
  
"Like the ring, yes."  
  
"Even though I don't remember ever having either one of them?"  
  
Urvasi laughed and bowed.  
  
"I must go now. I shall see you before dawn's first light, at the north wall. All will be explained then. My word on it."  
  
She turned to leave.  
  
"Wait...does your momma know that you're out this late?"  
  
"It is on her business that I have come, Ranma. It is sweet of you to be concerned for a stranger. It speaks highly of your heart. Until tomorrow."  
  
She made it from the roof to the wall in one smooth, graceful leap. Ranma watched her small form bound away into the darkness. Nope, no way she wasn't gonna prove to be in the running. Whoever, whatever she was, Genma probably had a contract with Urvasi's mom...  
  
He fumed silently at his father's many stupidities for a few minutes before examining the ball again. The strange flickering light seemed to react to his presence...but it didn't do anything except shimmer. Whatever it was, he decided, it seemed safe enough. On a whim, he dug the ring Urvasi had given him earlier out of his pocket...if Genma found them, they'd be as good as pawned off for booze money, and Ranma decided he wanted to at least enjoy speculating about his two new possessions.  
  
On a whim, he slipped the plain silver ring onto his left hand. After all, if it was going to disappear once his father saw it, Ranma wanted to know what it would have looked like on his hand.  
  
It fit perfectly. That was a bad sign, but it might just mean that Urvasi had told him the truth, that it really was his ring.  
  
It wouldn't come off, again. That was definitely a bad sign.  
  
Manly men don't panic, and Ranma wasn't scared of much beyond cats and that seppuku contract, but he had the sense to get very nervous at this development. In his efforts, he brought the ring into contact with the crystal ball...both of which suddenly glowed with inner power.  
  
This was a very, very bad sign.  
  
He sat stock still for the fifteen or so minutes it took for the glow to fade away again, senses overstrained with the effort of noticing the next incoming wrinkle in his already complex life. When nothing continued to result from the bizarre event, he gulped nervously, slipped the orb back into his pocket, and decided to sleep on it. Slipping back into the guest room, and taking great care not to disturb the drunkenly snoozing panda there, he slid into his futon and quickly dropped off.  
  
His last conscious thought for the night was that in the morning, he would have to test the ring's stubborn hold on his girl form. Surely the ring would not stay put on 'her' finger as well...  
  
End Chapter Two. To Be Continued.  
  
Tune in next time when Ranma has a strange dream, Urvasi lights up his life, and the true nature of the ring gets a little bit clearer.  
  
Author's Notes.  
  
First, I owe Ranger5 an answer to a very good question—Exalted is a tabletop RPG by White Wolf that could best be described as 'Hercules and Xena meet Final Fantasy meet Slayers'. It's a nice little epic fantasy world, and my regular gaming group finds it far more fun than anything involving the World of Darkness. As noted earlier, they've met both Urvasi and her mother, and all their sympathies lie with Ranma.  
  
Second, just in case it isn't starkly, screamingly obvious, I an NOT a big fan of the 'one true fiancée' school of thought. I am not necessarily anti- Akane: she has many positive qualities and is not a bad person at her core...but she isn't the best match for our pal with the dihydrate-monoxide- related gender issue. [In fact, none of the girls really qualify as a 'best' match! If any of them did, there just wouldn't have been nearly as much to the series. It works because everything is wrong...there's a nice, hefty koan for your next zazen meditation session, neh?] So Tendo Akane isn't going to come out of this in the most positive light, but that's okay. This isn't her story. Maybe some other time she'll win out. Just not here and now. 


	4. The Ring's the Thing

Disclaimer: Just in case you missed it the first three times: this is a work of fan fiction. I don't own Ranma. I don't own Exalted. Do NOT beg your Exalted GM to let you get away with any of this, because most of it breaks the rules of the game. In the interests of telling a good story, canon material will be run through a shredder, and ideas will be smacked by a very large ball peen hammer until they cry for mercy. Signed C&C and reviews accepted. Pointless flames will be impregnated with catnip for use as cat toys. Avalon needs her fix.  
  
Cestus Sol  
  
A Ranma/Exalted RPG crossover by the MadPanda  
  
Chapter Three: The Ring's The Thing  
  
Ranma dreamt.  
  
_ He stood, clad in his armor, glittering in the first rays of dawn as the sun rose in the sky. Below him, across the blasted plain that had once been his realm, the massed forces brought to bear against him swarmed over wreckage and ruin, streaming toward the hill where he awaited them with stoic patience. He nodded in appreciation: theirs had been a fine plan, a good plan, well executed.  
_

_This would be a fine death.  
  
He turned to regard his companion, a woman of unearthly and savage beauty, armed and armored as he was. Once he was sure she was listening, he smiled sadly.  
  
"Go, love. Leave me. They do not come for your blood, and I would not have you fall here. Not like this."  
  
She shook her head and snarled. "What, am I so weak that you would send me away? I shall not leave you!"  
  
"You must." He sighed. For a moment, the conflicting emotions in his heart tossed his mood this way and that: love of this woman, pride in her courage, sorrow at the truth of his impending death, resolve that it must not be in vain. He glanced down at the pursuing army. "One of us must live on. And it is already decided that I will not leave here alive."  
  
"But..."  
  
"It is already decided." He laughed with grim, resigned amusement. "They have done well, our traitorous servants. They have been clever, and my kind have been blinded by our own stupid, selfish pride. It is fitting that they shall slay us. There is a kind of justice in that."  
  
"I cannot leave you! Please, my lord...husband..."  
  
He reached over, brushed a tear from her cheek and kissed her gently.  
  
"I will come back to you, though it takes a thousand, thousand lifetimes and a dozen ages of Creation. You do not abandon me, and I am not helpless before my fate. Grant me this last desire, heart of my heart."  
  
They shared one last, passionate kiss. He whispered his final wish to her just as she let him go. Tearfully she backed away and saluted him solemnly before turning and dashing away. He watched her go, a sad smile on his lips.  
  
"You hold me in too high regard, beloved. I was as guilty as all the rest, and the vengeance of heaven has proven as slow, subtle, and sure in this as in all else. I am duly served for my crimes."  
  
He gripped the hilt of his mighty blade and flowed effortlessly into a strong ready stance just as the first of his foes crested the hill. Smiling calmly, he leapt into the fray, the sword singing its savage and joyous hymn of battle..._  
  
Ranma sat bolt upright, soaked with sweat and gasping for air. With frustration and relief he recognized the Tendo's guest room, the slumbering bulk of his father's panda form, the first light of false dawn hitting the windows...  
  
"Only a dream! Thank the _kami_!"  
  
He paused briefly to regain his wits before he rose and headed for the bath, determined to get a head start on his day. Normally he would never do this, but today he had company coming...and the strange little girl owed him answers. While the morning spar was usually at least somewhat enjoyable, he didn't want to be late for her arrival.  
  
While soaking in the _furo_, he put one idea to the test. The ring would not come off his girl-side's hand either. Not, he reminded himself firmly, that he had really expected anything else. It was just as well that nobody else was awake to notice and ask questions he couldn't answer. Almost too late he remembered to retrieve the crystal ball, but he made it out into the yard just as Urvasi hopped up onto the wall and and beckoned to him.  
  
"This is a good morning for a run, Ranma. Would you join me?"  
  
"Sure, why not?"  
  
"Catch me, then, if you can!" Giggling, she turned and bounded away across the rooftops of Nerima. With a giddy grin, Ranma gave chase, delighting in the innocent play for a few moments and allowing the excitement to chase away the last lingering shivers of his nightmare.  
  
She led him to the park and perched on a lamppost, making faces at him and almost daring him to leap up to confront her.  
  
"That won't help, 'Vasi-chan. I can easily jump that high," he laughed.  
  
"Yes, I know." She suddenly sobered and glanced to the East. "Tell me, warrior, what is the purpose of your art?"  
  
"A martial artist's duty is to defend the weak," Ranma recited out of long habit.  
  
For just a moment, she seemed both solemn and so much older than twelve, with ancient wisdom in her eyes and dust in her memories.  
  
"Then so be it. Forgive me for having doubted you. May I...may I take back that orb, just for a moment?"  
  
"Sure." He tossed it up to her. "Uhm, what exactly is it really?"  
  
"Something very precious, Ranma. Something very special. And...something that belongs to you by right." She raised it to her lips and whispered a word, as if speaking to the crystal itself.  
  
"You're gonna explain this, right?"  
  
"Yes. It is time."  
  
She lobbed it to him underhand. It hung there for a moment, glittering in the rays of the sun, before dropping toward him. He reached out for it...and just before it fell close enough for him to catch, the full light of dawn fell on him. There was a sound of shattering crystal, and the light was suddenly everywhere in and around him, silent and painless...  
  
And then the lawn sprinkler system activated. If it isn't one thing, it's another.  
  
After an eternal moment of power and light, Ranma opened her eyes to find Urvasi kneeling before her, head bowed.  
  
"Greetings to you, Ranma, Sword of Heaven!"  
  
"Uhm...'Vasi-chan?"  
  
"Yes, Lightbringer?" The girl raised her head...and stopped abruptly. Her mouth dropped open in surprise. Her gaze dropped down to chest level, then came right back up to meet Ranma's eyes.  
  
"You...were a man."  
  
"Yeah, uhm, this is embarrassing...it's a curse."  
  
"You are a man?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Who sometimes is a girl?"  
  
"Uh...yeah." Ranma fidgeted.  
  
"Is it reversible?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, sure. Cold water makes me a girl, hot water changes me back to a guy. Another of my stupid father's bright ideas."  
  
Urvasi smacked her forehead. "This comes of being my mother's daughter. Oh, well. 'Tis no great matter, Sword of Heaven. The power cares not what form wields it, save that they are worthy." She grinned up at Ranma. "Besides, I doubt it will alarm the Nightfang."  
  
"The who?"  
  
Urvasi pointed. After a moment's confusion, Ranma realized she was indicating the ring. She held up her hand. And stared.  
  
"Hey! I'm glowing!"  
  
"A side effect of the Exaltation. Fear not. It shall fade over time. Now, about the ring...it marks your bond with an old friend of your innermost heart."  
  
"Huh? Is that a fancy way of sayin' I got another fiancée? I already got too many, thanks to my stupid old man and his stupid promises."  
  
"Fiancée...this means an intended bride?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Ah. That would explain why you were so concerned that I was one." Urvasi laughed. "No, do not fear, Ranma. The Nightfang, the one who wears the companion to that ring, is no fiancée."  
  
"Oh, good!"  
  
"She is your wife."

End Chapter Three

To Be Continued  
  
Tune in next time when we meet (Urvasi's) Mom, the Tendos get an inkling of what just happened, and Ranma contemplates married life with a woman he doesn't remember yet.  
  
Author's Notes  
  
Okay, hands up, everyone who saw that last line coming a mile away.


	5. First Impressions of a New Dawn

Disclaimer: One more time: this is a work of fan fiction. I own the rights to neither Ranma nor Exalted, and no infringement on those rights is intended by this minor act of fanboyish imitation. In the interests of telling a good story, rules will be broken, canon material will be ignored, and the bounds of sanity, safety, and propriety disregarded. Signed C&C or reviews accepted. Flames will be snuffed.  
  
Cestus Sol

A Ranma/Exalted Crossover

By the MadPanda  
  
Chapter Four: First Impressions of a New Dawn  
  
Ranma recovered his consciousness and his wits gradually to the sound of an unfamiliar woman's voice. There was something soothing about the sound, shot through with the merry humor of one who knows that she alone gets an inside joke.  
  
"He took that well," the woman was saying. "Certainly better than I expected he would."  
  
"Yes, he did," Urvasi grumbled, "for a value of 'well' with which I am not familiar. I am of a mind to find the Nightfang and warn her..."  
  
"No need, daughter. Siobhan will welcome her mate regardless. She has missed him."  
  
"Ah, and he, of course, having so many other women..."  
  
"Engagements, not wives."  
  
Urvasi sighed heavily. "This is true, and I freely admit that none of them are his doing and desire. How much did you know of these matters ere you sent me forth to fetch him?"  
  
"Please, Daughter! I am not omniscient! I do confess to having known more than I told, yet less than you suspect." The woman laughed softly. "Had I told you all I knew, you might have seen him with less innocent and open eyes. I am pleased to find that he has not changed so much since I first knew him. And here he is, back among the waking world. How fare you, Lord?"  
  
"Uhm...I gotta headache..."  
  
"Only to be expected, Lord Ranma."  
  
"Just Ranma. I ain't...uh, I don't like titles. They remind me of the Blue Blunder."  
  
"As you wish. Besides the headache, how fare you?"  
  
"Uhm. I had this crazy dream where a little girl told me my wife was coming to see me, and there was all this light..."  
  
"You see, Urvasi? He's doing just fine."  
  
"As you say, Mother." The girl did not sound convinced.  
  
"Uhm...who are you, again?"  
  
"Call me Glatisant."  
  
Ranma sat up carefully. The woman who addressed him was a tall and stunningly beautiful woman with long platinum blonde hair, a honey-colored tan, and the most intense green eyes he'd ever seen in his life. She was dressed quite unconvincingly as a Shinto shrine maiden.  
  
"See, Urvasi? All is mended. And he's even quick enough to be back for breakfast with his mortal attendants if he hurries."  
  
"They don't think of themselves as his servants, Mother."  
  
"What? Not even that meek little housekeeper?" Glatisant frowned. "How odd."  
  
"Ya mean Kasumi?"  
  
"She does," Urvasi nodded glumly. "You must forgive Mother, Sword of Heaven. She forgets herself from time to time."  
  
"What a terrible thing to say! Wicked child..." Glatisant laughed and embraced the small girl, then smiled at Ranma. "But she's right. I'm only teasing you. Here, let us help you back to the Tendo house. It's the least we can do, having already made your life far more complicated that it already was."  
  
Somewhere in the back of Ranma's head, the word 'Tendo' connected with the word 'wife' and the idea of two more women accompanying him home. Ranma made desperate warding gestures.  
  
"Uh, that's okay, Glatisant! I'll be fine, really!"  
  
"I insist. They will not harm you. Not this time."  
  
The sudden lack of humor and warmth in her voice caught his attention. Ranma understood, somehow, that Glatisant was making a promise that she fully intended to keep...and somehow he knew that she had ways of making that happen.  
  
"Ya remind me of Nabiki," he blurted out.  
  
"The scheming one," Urvasi muttered to her mother.  
  
"You hold her in high regard indeed, to compare her to me. Ah, but let us proceed to your current domicile, Son of the Dawn. Or, rather, let Urvasi escort you. She wishes to make amends for having caused you trouble. While I would also prefer to come along, there is another matter to which I must attend."  
  
Shaking his head, secure in the knowledge that somehow he had missed something important, Ranma got to his feet. So did Urvasi, who looked about as happy as he felt. Bowing as politely as he could manage, Ranma left for home, the girl right on his heels.  
  
They had not gone ten paces out the front gate of the shrine before he turned to regard the girl. She stopped in turn and returned his attention with a sullen, put-upon look of her own.  
  
"Ya don't hafta follow me if ya don't wanna."  
  
"That's all right," she grumbled. "The trip will get me out of Mother's way for a time, and I would rather argue with you than with her."  
  
"She's really your Mom?"  
  
"Alas, yes."  
  
"Wow. Well, it could be worse. Mine keeps wanting me to be a man- among-men or else. And some of Momma's ideas are kinda weird."  
  
"So I gather. We should be on our way, Lightbri...uhm, Ranma."  
  
"Ya remembered."  
  
"It seems the least I can do after scaring you like that."  
  
"Hey, who says I was scared?"  
  
"Unlike Mother, I am quite aware that the idea of a 'lifetime companion' seems to bother you. As if a wife was something frightening." She gave him a mocking little smile, but looked thoughtful after another moment. "Of course, as I remember, the Nightfang is a rather impressive woman. Perhaps I should caution her against surprising you?"  
  
Ranma frowned. "Would it do any good?"  
  
"Probably not. She is Lunar. They are...exuberant creatures."  
  
"Look, whaddya care for, anyway? I heard what ya said earlier, about my having all these women, and ya still ask why I'm not thrilled? At least you understand that all of the engagements are my father's doing, not mine...but ya still brought it up! And now ya tell me I got a wife all this time! How do I handle that? How can I? Nobody ever asked me if I know the first thing about relationships, or people, or...or...other stuff. I got guys at school who think I'm the luckiest man on Earth, having all these pretty girls chasin' after me. What're they gonna think if my wife shows up?"  
  
Urvasi blushed and looked down at her feet as he paused for breath.  
  
"But you'd rather just assume I'm a playboy, hunh? Just like everybody else around here. Never mind what I think or want."  
  
The girl cleared her throat. "I have wronged you, Solar...and proven myself unworthy of the reward I was promised for helping you regain what is yours. I cry your mercy, Sword of Heaven."  
  
"Hunh?" It took Ranma a few seconds to shift mental gears and another moment for him to realize that someone, some girl, had just apologized to him for leaping to the wrong conclusion.  
  
"Uhm, sure. I'm kinda used to it..."  
  
"You ought not be!" Urvasi stopped and stood her ground, clenching her little fists. "It is bad enough that I, a stranger, should do so...but these _people_ around you, those whom you protect and watch over..."  
  
Ranma sighed.  
  
"It's okay, 'Vasi-chan. Really."  
  
"It is _not_! I should have asked for your side of things before I decided, but I was having doubts about whether or not you were really the one I sought and..."  
  
"It's an important job you do for your mom?"  
  
"An old promise being fulfilled, yes."  
  
"A matter of honor?"  
  
"No, just...a promise to a friend. Something that Mother would consider far, far more important than mere honor."  
  
"Whoa. Is that possible?"  
  
"Mother lives by her own rules, Ranma. She always has. It is part of why she is so frustrating to know."  
  
"Yeah, I sorta figured that part out already. And I kinda know the feeling. So...it's okay. I'm not mad at ya or nothin'. You're kinda new to all this madness. It kinda overwhelms ya at first. I just...I'm used to it."  
  
The strange little girl set her jaw and shook her head angrily and said no more until they reached the Tendo's gate.  
  
"I gotta go in, now," Ranma grinned. "Be careful goin' home. Who knows what sorta trouble ya might run into. Either of the Kunos, for starters."  
  
"And you, Lightbringer. Be well," Urvasi bowed. "If I see the Nightfang, I shall warn her that you are not to be surprised."  
  
"I thought ya said it wouldn't help?"  
  
"Alas, no. But I shall do so anyway. For a friend who forgave my leap to judgment." With that, she turned and dashed away, leaving Ranma at the gate. As before, he watched her departure and tried to resolve the nagging feeling in his gut that yes, Urvasi was going to join his so-called 'harem' in the near future.  
  
"Not gonna happen," he whispered. "Her mom ain't that dumb!"  
  
With that positive thought bolstering his confidence, Ranma stepped back into the madhouse of his life. He needed breakfast, his schoolbags, and a quick spar with his panda...er, father. He didn't get any of the three before his life caught up with him—as soon as the gate closed behind him, both fathers and his so-called 'true fiancée' were in his face.  
  
"Ranma-kun, explain this!" Tendo Soun, always on the lookout for some reason to accuse him of failing to live up to a fool's bargain.  
  
"Where have you been, you ungrateful..." His fath...Genma, always using those very traits he did not possess to gain leverage over someone greater than he would ever be.  
  
"PERVERT!" And there she was, his supposed fiancée, leaping to the attack without so much as a pause to justify her insult and the conclusion behind it. Akane and her accusations. Akane and her immature paranoia. Akane and her damn mallet. Why would she never just ask a question, listen to the answer, and think before acting? Why was it always somehow his fault? Why did he put up with it?  
  
Enough!  
  
Ranma felt something rise in him, a power he hadn't had the night before...almost like chi, but far older, stronger, more intense...  
  
Akane's charge faltered. Her Righteous Mallet Strike fell far short of its intended target. Soun screamed like a little girl and passed out. Genma backpedaled, tripped on the stones around the koi pond and fell in. The entire backyard seemed full of glorious golden sunlight, far too bright for this time of the morning. Ranma was distantly aware that his battle aura had manifested...now white light and gold instead of his usual confident red.  
  
"Explain myself? To you? No." Whoa, was that _his_ voice? He knew what he sounded like in girl mode. This was a voice that belonged to a 'girl mode plus'! Even the Old Ghoul would be impressed!  
  
He glanced at the ring on his hand. The ring glowed along with his aura...yes, it did that, didn't it? As did the ring he gave to her, his wife...a Lunar named Siobhan, whatever that meant.  
  
Absently he stepped around Akane's stunned form and entered the house. Kasumi was just leaving the kitchen with a kettle of hot water for his convenience. When she saw him, she cried out and nearly dropped the kettle...  
  
"Is something wrong, Kasumi?"  
  
"R...ranma? When did you get that tattoo?"  
  
Funny, Ranma thought. I'm glowing like the sun itself, her dad passed out, mine's all wet, and her precious baby sister is in shock, and Kasumi asks about a tattoo?  
  
"What tattoo?"  
  
"On...your forehead..."  
  
Ranma accepted the tea-kettle from the young woman and stepped back outside to pour the contents over his head. The oft-welcomed change back to male, while still a relief, was much less intense than it always had been.  
  
"Perhaps she was right, and the power does not care what form the vessel takes."  
  
"What was that, Ranma-kun?"  
  
Trust Nabiki to overhear him when he thought out loud! He gave her a sidelong glance. She was trying to look as calm and collected as ever, but he could almost feel her nervousness: his aura was slowly fading, but it was still quite noticeable.  
  
"Just thinking over something a friend told me. It's nothing important."  
  
"Really. Well, I'm sure Akane would love to know what you were up to...and who that little girl was you were chasing earlier."  
  
Ah, of course. Someone had seen them, mentioned it to Akane, and the rest was just the normal way of life around here. Ranma almost laughed at the predictable stupidity of the whole chain of events.  
  
"That, Tendo, is none of your business. Before you threaten me with your usual methods, I suggest you consider asking someone what really happened at Phoenix Mountain, and then contemplate whether you want me really and truly angry with you." He patted her shoulder in a brotherly way. "It's over, Nabiki-chan. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get my things for school."  
  
"Ranma..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"When did you get a tattoo?" Nabiki pointed to her forehead. "Right here. Bright gold sunburst. Big as a 500 Yen coin. Can't miss it. And you didn't have it last night."  
  
"Guess where I was this morning, who I was with, and why Akane is wrong again. Get all three right, specifically and precisely, and you'll have the answer you seek." He grinned, noting that his guy side also had the extra 'oomph' to his voice, and patted Nabiki's shoulder again. "Good day, Tendo-san."  
  
Ranma headed inside, leaving the wreckage of a normal morning at the Tendo's behind him in the yard. He was starting to like this Solar thing, whatever it was. Already he was figuring out solutions to problems that had bothered him for months—the engagements could be dismantled, rivals outmatched, irritations resolved. And when his beloved wife rejoined him, he could leave this madhouse behind him.  
  
Halfway down the stairs, with his book-bag slung over one shoulder, Ranma paused. He had a wife (that he had never met) who was coming here to be reunited with him. He didn't even know how he knew this. He glanced at the ring and grinned mournfully. Urvasi had said there was trouble in all things, hadn't she? And the little mystery girl was right. At least she had warned him that this might be complicated.  
  
For now, there was Kasumi's breakfast, school, and perhaps another round of useless struggle against small minded fools. And amidst it all, Ranma merely smiled. She was coming back to him. Against that one bright thought, all else faded...  
  
End Chapter Four To Be Continued.  
  
Tune in next time when the Shampoo picks a fight with the wrong outsider, Ranma gets a surprise, and Urvasi's mom gets a regular job.  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Did you miss something between last chapter and this? Not really—Ranma just passed out from shock and Urvasi hauled him 'home' so that he could talk to her mom. Granted, this is not the most 'manly' of reactions, but Ranma was a girl at the time.  
  
Ranma spent almost the entire chapter in girl mode, but I decided to use the masculine pronoun throughout because as we all know he's a he, even when he's a she. Besides, it got way too confusing otherwise!  
  
Glatisant is the name of the Questing Beast from Arthurian legend. What connection there might be between an Arthurian beastie and a Hindu character with a Chinese epithet, I will not speculate. I just thought it was a cool name.  
  
This was originally two shorter pieces, but I decided that having more or less promised to show the Tendo's initial reactions to Ranma's Exaltation, nobody would complain too much if I went overtime. Gryn  
  
Is Ranma a bit more mature than usual? You bet. While he hasn't noticed that he's doing it just yet, he's now thinking about his life strategically rather than just tactically.  
  
His power-up in the face of an impending mallet strike is something Dawn Caste can do as a matter of course. It basically forces most non-Exalted opponents to pass a morale check before attacking. If they pass, they get a penalty on the attack. If they fail they run in screeching panic. Anyone see Soun and Genma passing that check? Didn't think so.  
  
And as near as I can tell, Siobhan is supposed to be pronounced 'chevonne'. My Gaelic is about as good as my Urdu...which is to say, it isn't.


	6. The Tiger, The Lady, and The Qiling

Disclaimer: Insert standard disclaimer about ownership, publishing rights, et cetera here. In the interests of telling a good story, rules will be broken, canon material will be run through a shredder, and the bounds of sanity spindled, folded, mutilated, and tied in a knot. Signed C&C or reviews accepted. Flames will be fed to Avalon's stinky older brother (he'll eat anything).  
  
Cestus Sol  
  
A Ranma/Exalted Crossover  
  
By the MadPanda  
  
Chapter Five: The Tiger, The Lady, And The Qiling  
  
Ah, yes, Ranma thought to himself, Furinkan High...the biggest loony bin in town. And here was the head lunatic, first thing in the morning, right on schedule.  
  
"Halt, foul sorceror! I, Kuno Tatewaki, age nineteen, shall punish you for your crimes against all womanhood and free my pig-tailed goddess and the lovely Tendo Akane from your evil and most perverse control! Have at you!"  
  
The problem with any of the Kuno family, Ranma reflected, was that no matter how often you beat them down, they kept bouncing right back...sort of like Ryoga, in fact. And you couldn't just talk to them and expect to resolve matters, either. They heard what they wanted to hear and disregarded all else...much like the fathers, come to think of it. The good thing was that they were all so easily predictable, each in their way. Thus he was free to dodge the True Blunder's strikes almost effortlessly while still having his mind free to consider more important matters.  
  
"How dare you ignore me, consorter with demons!"  
  
"Actually, you're using attack pattern five, which is the same one you've used consistently for the last eight months. Even with a katana instead of a boken, you are no longer any real challenge." In the privacy of his own mind, Ranma smacked himself. There was a reason not to talk to anybody named Kuno! "Besides, you graduated with Nabiki's class months ago. So you're trespassing on school property."  
  
Kuno struck one of his many heroic poses. As expected, thunder crashed in the distance. Ranma yawned and waited for the swordsman to get on with his speech.  
  
"I cannot stay away from my two loves and allow you to have your wicked way with them unimpeded, foul one!"  
  
"Uh-hunh. You are also blocking traffic, committing assault with a deadly weapon, and stalking. Know what that makes you, Kuno-chan?" Ranma dropped into Riding Horse stance. "A common criminal. Know what the duty of a true martial artist is? Protecting people from the likes of you. Want to just leave now, or must I do my duty?"  
  
Kuno leapt to the attack once more...and Ranma did his duty. One hit, one unconscious moron. It was nothing to write home about. It wasn't really even worth the effort. Alas, where Kodachi had finally gotten something resembling a clue and switched her obsessive affections to Mousse after yet another close encounter with Amazon hidden weaponry, chains, and a dose of her own love potions, Tatewaki refused to leave well enough alone.  
  
It had now been a week since his early-morning meeting with Urvasi and Glatisant. Even in so short a time, Ranma knew he was no longer the same person he once was. For one thing, he could easily see the way others were responding to him.  
  
Akane was still avoiding him whenever possible. She seemed to be afraid of him, in fact, and had not even so much as reached for her shoujo-mallet if he was anywhere nearby. There had as yet been no discussion regarding the Tendo engagement (on, off, or switched to one of the other sisters). The current rumor at school was that he had broken it off for good after finding Akane in bed with Ryoga, or maybe Mousse. The truth was simpler: the fathers were afraid of what he might do if they pushed him on it, so the matter was not raised in his presence.  
  
Shampoo and Ukyo kept giving him plenty of space. Apparently Cologne had seen the light show from the other morning when he cowed the fathers and told Shampoo to leave him be. Either she or Mousse had told Konatsu, and the cross-dressing little ninja waitress had passed word on to his employer that pestering Ranma was a Bad Idea.  
  
The break this gave him was more than welcome: he could actually think about how to respond to things instead of just blurting out whatever came to mind. Without the various girls in his life clinging to him and arguing, he even got to enjoy the idea of conversations that didn't devolve into shouting matches.  
  
Besides the unusual and attention-getting tattoo on his forehead, it wasn't really until he stayed awake in class and paid attention to his teachers that others really noticed the changes in him. Miss Hinako had really freaked out and tried to accuse him of being some kind of juvenile delinquent doppelganger ...until he very patiently pointed out that now he was doing what she had asked of him all last year. After that, everyone gave him as much personal space and privacy as he wanted. More than a few people voiced the obvious question: who are you, and what did you do to Ranma?  
  
He laughed at the thought—they were more afraid of him when he was polite than when he was angry? How interesting. But both he and the other residents of Nerima remained slightly on edge, waiting for the other slipper to drop.  
  
A week, almost to the hour after his meeting with Glatisant, the other slipper did just that.  
  
He was quietly eating his lunch, leaning up against a tree on the school grounds, when a battered and bruised Shampoo landed nearby. She stumbled and fell upon touching down, her leg collapsing under her weight.  
  
"Airen! You is in danger!"  
  
"Shampoo?" He set down his bento and went to help her up. She had been in a major fight: her clothing was torn, one hair ornament was missing, and she winced when he steadied her. Clutching at his sleeve, she set her mouth firmly.  
  
"Airen no worry about Shampoo! Came to warn you...you is followed here by monster woman. Shampoo see and try to stop but...look out!"  
  
Even as she spoke, he rolled to one side, dragging her under him. Ignoring the Chinese girl's sudden cry of pain at his sudden weight, he let go of her and rose to his feet, the better to face his opponent.  
  
She was a tall, athletic _gaijin_ with long silver-white hair streaked with black, silvery blue eyes, and a ready grin. In spite of her hair, she didn't look much over twenty-five or six. Her clothing was curiously similar to Ryoga's: a sleeveless tunic and loose leggings, both of the same leathery material. She had an impossibly large battle-axe strapped across her back, bracers of some silvery metal, and winding thorn-motif tattoos all the way up her arms and onto her face. Absently, Ranma noted that the tattoos almost looked like stripes.  
  
The woman beckoned to him, grinning broadly.  
  
"Come, little man! I will test you!"  
  
"Oh? Is this a challenge?"  
  
She laughed. "It matters?"  
  
Then she launched an axe kick right through the space his head had occupied only a moment before! She was far faster than her size would indicate, he noted, and she had some skill in the art...Ranma ducked an elbow strike, slipped past a one-two combination punch, and rolled out of the way of another axe kick before gaining enough space to regain his bearings.  
  
She wasn't angry, so the Hiryu Shouten Ha was out. Chestnut Fist? Maybe. But if his opponent proved to be as strong as she was fast, that might just make her angry...ah, but then he could use her hot _ki_ to fuel the Amazon finishing move! On the other hand, she wasn't insulting him or spewing accusations like the last twenty challengers he'd faced. This wasn't how these impromptu matches were supposed to go.  
  
"Do I know you? You don't look like someone my old man cheated..."  
  
She said nothing, but her grin broadened and she beckoned him again.  
  
"I don't fight girls."  
  
Snorting in amusement, she launched another rapid series of attacks. Ranma evaded each of them, his margin of error shrinking gradually. Dancing across the schoolyard as his classmates scrambled to get out of the way, Ranma found that the _gaijin_ woman stuck to him almost as if she was reading his moves. She never penetrated his defenses, but didn't otherwise miss a beat. Wryly, he wondered if this was how Akane must have felt during that little sparring session, his first night in Nerima!  
  
He decided to test the waters. If he was wrong, it would hurt. If not...  
  
He left an opening.  
  
She didn't take it.  
  
Ranma's eyes flickered to her left hand. There, glittering in the sunlight, was a golden band very much like his. Another snap decision—as she closed again, he relaxed into Horse Stance and let his hands fall to his side. A gamble. An exchange. Possible pain and injury for information...  
  
Her fist slammed to a halt a hair's breadth from his face. The air pressure blew his bangs back. It was, he noticed, her left hand clenched before him...with the golden twin to the silver ring he wore.  
  
As if in a dream, he reached up and gently took her large fist with his hands, guided it just a little lower, and kissed her hand on the knuckle just below the golden wedding band.  
  
"Siobhan, I hope?"  
  
The woman let out a long, heavy sigh that rolled on for some time and then swept him into a massive hug. Awkwardly, Ranma returned it as best he could...at least until she abruptly released him and stood back, regarding him while keeping her huge hands on his shoulders.  
  
"I have missed you." Her gaze dropped again, taking in all of him. She frowned a little. "Have they not been feeding you? You used to be so much taller."  
  
This was, as Ranma half-expected, the cue for Akane to show up and jump to the obvious, wrong conclusion. She did not disappoint, guided to the scene by the eager audience...or perhaps just a good sense of bad timing. Her tirade started the moment she entered the schoolyard and spotted him.  
  
"Ranma, you jerk! You womanizing pervert! You dishonorable two- timing bastard! Is this another of your so-called fiancées? How much did the panda sell you for this time?"  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Ranma noticed Siobhan's eyes narrow. She started growling like an angry ca...ca...feline. As Akane came closer, the woman made as if to pull him behind her. The gesture, while demeaning, warmed his heart.  
  
"It's okay," he muttered. "I'll handle her. She's sort of my problem anyway."  
  
The woman looked down to him and met his eyes with hers. Slowly she nodded, stepped back and crossed her arms. He smiled at her and faced his soon-to-be-former fiancée, she of the foul temper and worse cooking.  
  
"What do you want, Akane?" Will you let me be civil, he wondered, or must I be cruel to you in order to end this?  
  
"Don't talk to me like that, you pervert! What do you think you're doing, feeling some foreign floozy up at school like that? Have you no shame? Oh, wait, that's right! You don't!"  
  
"Tendo-san?" Ranma sighed internally. She would force him to be unkind. But should he have expected anything else? Taking a deep breath, he reluctantly called up the Soul of Ice technique.  
  
"And what's with the formality, you freak?"  
  
"I challenge you. Tonight, in that shambles you dare call a dojo, I will give you what you have so pitifully demanded of me since the day we met. When I win, you will apologize to my wife for the insults you have just heaped upon her." This wasn't what he wanted, nor how he wanted it done...but what he wanted never seemed to matter very much.  
  
Akane backpedaled for a moment before her innate sense of righteous indignation allowed her to rally. Ignoring the startled gasps of the other students, she made a familiar mistake and spat defiance back at him.  
  
"Oh, as if! You don't have the guts!"  
  
"If you lack the courage and honor to answer my challenge, Tendo, just say so." His voice was cold, sharp, like a razor-fine blade of ice drawn down the soul...perfectly masking his inner pain. Perhaps he asked too much of her? But it would be better this way.  
  
"Fine! And when you lose, you can just take your harem and get out of my life!"  
  
"Seven o'clock suit you?"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Oh, and Tendo? Make sure you have the dojo sign handy. We might as well make the results official. Wouldn't want your father to keep any silly dreams of reuniting the schools if I'm not around anymore." Ranma hoped vainly that the implied threat would get through Akane's thick skull, knowing that it would not. Tendo Soun had drummed that one tenet of Anything Goes into his daughter's head as firmly as Genma had beaten it into his: always accept a challenge, no matter what.  
  
"No way!"  
  
"Backing out of a challenge? That's not the way a real martial artist behaves, Tendo. Oh, wait. I forgot. Your father quit being a real martial artist years ago, just like mine. I suppose you can't be held responsible for his failure to teach you properly..." His heart wasn't in the insults anymore, but they had to be spoken. The ritual had to be completed. This would be finished once and for all...for his sake as well as Akane's.  
  
"What? How dare you insult my Dad after all we've done for you! Take that back!"  
  
"Accept my conditions. If I do lose, I will publicly retract my statements about your father before I leave." Akane....  
  
"Fine! I accept! Seven o'clock tonight." Akane stormed off. The rage and fury in her face could not quite hide the tears pouring down her face. Ranma watched her leave, and sadness rose within him as he allowed the Soul of Ice to fade away. For what could never be, and what should never have been, he allowed a single tear to course down his cheek.  
  
"Who was that," Siobhan rumbled. "A pet, perhaps? I do not like the way she spoke to you. Does she think you are her property?"  
  
"That was my uncute ex-fiancée," Ranma sighed. "Did you see Glatisant earlier? Did she perchance tell you anything about my life?"  
  
"I did. She did not explain very much." Siobhan laughed. "She never does. It is not her way." She pulled Ranma around by the shoulders to face her again. "There, that's better. Now, where were we?"  
  
"Saying hello again, I think." Ranma looked around at the stunned students of Furinkan High. "And I think also we should go somewhere more private to continue this. Unless you really want to be the center of attention?"  
  
Siobhan made an amused noise somewhere between a grunt and a purr, then scooped him up in her arms and jumped up into the tree, then to the school roof. Ranma managed not to cry out in alarm on the way up, but hopped out of her embrace the first chance he got.  
  
"Warn me when you do that!"  
  
She laughed at him, and he blushed. Okay, he had to admit, it was kind of nice to be carried like that, but he was the guy and the guy was supposed to...he looked up at her and grinned. Guy or no, she was too big for him to carry!  
  
"What do you remember?"  
  
"Not much. I dreamed about you, once...and, uhm, Urvasi told me your name, I think. Or maybe...no, she did. She keeps calling you Nightfang."  
  
"Ah, yes. I am that. Perhaps I should go, and come again when you remember more."  
  
"But, uhm, you've been waiting for a while to see me again, haven't you?"  
  
"Husband, I have waited to see you again for longer than you can imagine. And here I am, and you are still growing. Still a mere cub! If I must, I can wait a little longer." She ruffled his hair gently. "I do not want to go, but if you do not remember..."  
  
He seized her hand, pressed his cheek against it. Blushing furiously at the very thought of what words now sprang to mind, he tried to keep his sudden panic from showing too much.  
  
"Do not leave me, Daughter of the Burning Moon. Not now. I...made a mistake, before, when I sent you from my side. I cannot afford to be so stupid again."  
  
"There you are, Ranma! Hello, Silver Blade! Mother sends her regards, and bids you greet your other spouse. And here she is!"  
  
Urvasi's cheerful call interrupted what might otherwise have been a tender moment. It was followed almost immediately by a sudden splash of icy cold water...and the all-too familiar change...when a water balloon burst against Ranma's back.  
  
"What is the expression? Ah, yes. Heads up!" Urvasi giggled as Ranma spluttered and shook off the excess water.  
  
"Qiling," Siobhan nodded. "You have a reason for interrupting my reunion with...oh! Were you not male, prince of my heart?"  
  
Ranma sighed. Maybe his life hadn't changed so much after all. Why was it always cold water? And why did it have to find him in so many improbably silly ways? He made a note to find out what made Urvasi squeal like a schoolgirl later and pay her back for this little joke.  
  
"Uhm, yeah, it's me. Long story. It's a curse. And yes, I change back to a man with hot water. And thank you for letting me explain it to her myself, Urvasi!"  
  
"I am pleased to have been of service," the little girl bowed politely, still laughing.  
  
"So, uhm, I'll understand if you...uhm...Siobhan? Hello? Earth to Siobhan..."  
  
The Nightfang, as she was called, hadn't released her embrace. She was gazing down at the buxom, petite redhead with something very much like fascination.  
  
"Should I mind?"  
  
With careful movements, the larger woman picked Ranma-chan up in her arms and tenderly kissed her husband, accompanied by Urvasi's enthusiastic applause. When at long last Ranma ceased struggling and returned the kiss, the little god-blooded girl merely blushed and slipped away across the roof, leaving the reunited lovers their privacy.  
  
End Chapter Five  
  
To Be Continued.  
  
Tune in next time when the Fiancée Brigade takes its first serious casualties, Ranma moves out, and Siobhan makes a fashion statement!  
  
Author's Notes.  
  
And it's Good Question time. Bookstick asked why Siobhan is referred to as the Nightfang, so here goes. Urvasi and Glatisant both use a number of epithets when speaking to or about Ranma. These are the traditional nicknames for a Dawn Caste Solar. They give Siobhan the same general courtesy, using the epithets for a Full Moon Caste Lunar Exalt. (In one of the side stories that sort of wrote itself, Urvasi also extends this habit to include the other member of the Ranma cast who gets the Big Solar Upgrade, but we'll get there when we get there, and you'll know them when you see them.)  
  
[Just in case anyone's taking notes, the 'official' lists are as follows.  
  
Dawn Caste Epithets: Ascending Suns, Children of the Dawn, Lightbringers, Bronze Tigers, Swords of Heaven  
  
Full Moon Caste Epithets: Children of the Burning Moon, Silver Blades, Luna's Warriors, Nightfangs]  
  
Yes, Akane is being a bit less than optimally intelligent in her path selection through the decision tree. Stress and anger sometimes make people do stupid things. She was a lot nastier in the first draft, let me tell you...  
  
No, I haven't forgotten about poor Shampoo, left wounded in the dust. We'll be coming back to her later. The Amazons get their own side story, but it's not terribly funny and it's definitely not PG-13. Lunars are nasty people when they get angry. And Cologne has a stubborn streak where the honor of her tribe is concerned.  
  
This was a challenging chapter to write, trying to walk that fine line between too mushy and not emotionally powerful enough. I'm still not sure I got there. The water balloon, though, was all Urvasi's idea. Exalted or not, Ranma still can't get a good love scene without at least one token interruption.  
  
And finally, a big MadPanda thank you to all my reviewers! I'm glad you folks are enjoying this little escapade. I'm certainly having fun writing it! 


	7. On Breaking Ground

Insert the standard boilerplate about who owns what here, followed by the usual warning of OOC behavior, non-canon material, and any new and amusing fates I have concocted for flames.  
  
Cestus Sol  
  
An Exalted/Ranma Crossover By the MadPanda  
  
Chapter Six: On Breaking Ground  
  
Ranma paused at the Tendo's front gate. He touched the aged and weathered wood and smiled to himself. For better or worse, this had been the closest thing to a home he'd had for some years. Tonight he would leave, and he felt both great sorrow and relief at the thought of doing so.  
  
On the other side of the wall, he could hear Tendo-san and Akane arguing about the upcoming duel of honor. As he expected, the older man was beside himself with anxiety, torn between anger that his family's reputation was thus impugned, fear that his precious baby daughter would be hurt, and confusion at the end of his insane dream to unite the schools. Akane blamed Ranma, of course: he was a 'rotten perverted jerk', after all, without whom she claimed her life would be so much better. As a new addition to the usual rant, she also berated her father for having tolerated him for so long, for having engaged them, for not having trained her better for such an eventuality...Ranma listened for a few minutes to gauge his chances of surviving his passage through the house, then squared his shoulders and pushed the gate open. No time like the present to face the immovable obstacles of one's life, he thought.  
  
The first of those immovable barriers to life and limb was waiting for him. Genma lurked in the shadow of the wall, lying in ambush for his return. The first blow struck cleanly, but Ranma was already rolling with the blow, seizing Genma's arm, and throwing the heavyset man over his shoulder to land painfully on the walkway.  
  
"Poorly done, old one. You are losing what little skill you had at this."  
  
"Where have you been, boy?"  
  
"Out."  
  
"You must apologize to Akane! Show some respect for your true fiancée! Put aside this gaijin woman and do as your father says!"  
  
Ranma stepped over the fallen man and entered the house. When the door closed behind him, he grinned silently. True fiancée? That was a good one. Maybe Genma had missed his true calling in life: the old panda would be a better clown than a father, any day. He quietly slipped off his shoes and would have made it back upstairs to the guest room without fuss if Genma had not burst in through the door behind him.  
  
"This isn't over, boy! You must..."  
  
"I must do what? Your promises no longer bind me."  
  
"This is a matter of family honor! Your feelings have no weight in the matter!"  
  
"Get a new line. You've worn that one out over the years." Ranma laughed. "I am going upstairs to prepare for my duel this evening. Do not interrupt me. This is a matter of personal honor. Your promises carry no weight in that matter at all." Still laughing, he continued his way up to the guest room.  
  
"Boy!" Genma hurried after him, blocking the door. "You can't do this to me! Not after everything I've done for you!"  
  
"Oh, you've done more that enough for me. That mindless _seppuku_ contract. The engagements to Kaori and Ukyo and kami knows who else. The Neko-ken training. Jyusenkyo. Need I continue?" Ranma didn't even look up from his packing.  
  
"It was for the Art!"  
  
"Of course it was." Ranma hefted his pack in one hand and turned to regard his mortal father. "You sacrificed everything for the sake of your Art. Just think of my departure as just another thing you've lost to it. Now...are you going to let me pass, or must I come through you?"  
  
"I cannot let you leave, you wretched boy! Ungrateful child! You are not my son!"  
  
Ranma smiled and spoke. His voice remained cheerful and upbeat, so it took a moment for the words to have their full impact.  
  
"There, old man, we agree completely. I have no father, nor mother. I renounce the name Saotome. Now I am _ronin_, thus honorless in your eyes, and none of your promises will ever affect me again. Thank you very much! I feel so much better, now."  
  
Genma took a step back, his face contorted in fear and shock.  
  
"But...the contract! Nodoka..."  
  
"It is time you shouldered some responsibility for the honor you did not care to maintain. And now, since I have no right to be in this house, I wish to leave. Will you not move?"  
  
Genma leapt at him, flailing wildly. Ranma sidestepped, slipped out the door, and dashed downstairs, laughing all the way. He probably would have made it had Genma's yell of fury and frustration not alerted the Tendos arguing below that Ranma was in the house. Even so, had it been Soun or Akane who intercepted his departure, he might have simply brushed them aside and gone. Instead, it was Kasumi who faced him.  
  
"Ranma-kun?"  
  
The older girl stood unsteady on her feet, gripping a broom as if it were a security blanket or a weapon of desperation. She was obviously distressed.  
  
"Kasumi-san." He bowed as politely as he could. "Thank you for your hospitality. I am deeply sorry for the trouble that has followed me to your doorstep. Farewell."  
  
"This isn't right, Ranma-kun! You can't just...leave! Akane is..."  
  
"I will return. Akane has a duel of honor tonight, at seven. I shall be there."  
  
"You would let her fight?"  
  
"It is what she wants. I would not dream of stopping her from getting what she wants. Not this time. Protecting her from the outset was a mistake I do not intend to continue."  
  
"Ranma-kun! How dare you challenge my little Akane to a duel! How dare you insult the schools!"  
  
"_Ranma no baka_!"  
  
"This isn't over yet, boy!"  
  
The dreaded Tendo Demon-head attack came around the corner, along with its owner. Akane and her mallet came close on Soun's heels, and Genma was barreling down the stairs. Squeaking in alarm, Kasumi beat a hasty retreat back to the kitchen. At the last moment, Ranma's attackers pulled up short so as not to collide with each other.  
  
"Have you come to say goodbye as well," Ranma smiled cheerfully. "I was just leaving for now, although I will return in time for the duel."  
  
"There won't be a duel," Soun said.  
  
"Oh? Is Akane going to back down from a legitimate and witnessed challenge?"  
  
"No way am I backing out of this! Ranma, you jerk..."  
  
"But Akane-chan..."  
  
"But nothing! This playboy went and got himself married! He and his _gaijin_ floozy were flaunting their perversions all over school!"  
  
"Ranma-kun! Explain this!" And the Demon Head was back again.  
  
"And no running away from your responsibilities, boy!" Genma finally got a word in edgewise. "You've got to marry Akane and unite the schools! It's a matter of..."  
  
"Honor. I heard you the first fifty thousand times." Ranma stretched. "Akane, you do not want to marry me."  
  
"Who would ever want to marry a perverted jerk like you?"  
  
"And neither of your sisters would volunteer to take your place, naturally."  
  
"Don't you dare think about doing something perverted with Kasumi-ne-chan!"  
  
"Thank you very much for your direct and brutal honesty. I will see you at seven in the dojo. Be prepared. Tendo-san, your daughters have broken the arrangement between the families. Take it up with them."  
  
Ranma opened the door, took one step, and turned back.  
  
"Oh, almost forgot. Owing to the additional complications brought to the agreement on the part of the Saotome clan, I am sure that most impartial observers will not blame the Tendo family for withdrawing from the arrangement. I'll just see myself out."  
  
Ranma left them there, struggling to work out what he had just said, and went on his way. This time, the interruption was a quiet one. Nabiki was waiting for him by the gate.  
  
"So, finally giving up, Saotome?"  
  
"Giving up what, exactly, Tendo?"  
  
Nabiki looked almost shocked, just for a moment.  
  
"Okay, who are you and what did you do with Ranma?"  
  
"Seems a lot of folks are askin' that one these days. You want the answer, it'll cost ya." Ranma laughed and held out his hand. "Five thousand yen."  
  
Nabiki paid. Ranma looked at the bills in his hand and tucked them into his pocket.  
  
"You're sure, now?"  
  
"Answer me, damn you! You're tearing my family apart, threatening my sister, driving my father insane, and you owe me an explanation!"  
  
Ranma studied her for a moment. She looked ready to start crying any moment. After a moment, he nodded.  
  
"Come with me, then. You'll get your yen's worth."  
  
A brief walk later, sitting at a park bench, Ranma tilted his head up to the sky and answered Nabiki's question.  
  
"You're going to have trouble with my answer, but it's the only one I have to give you. I am Ranma...just not quite in the way you think. You might say that the Ranma you knew and took advantage of died a week ago." He patted her shoulder in a brotherly fashion. "I'm more myself than I was, Nabiki. A lot more. And that means a lot of changes are going to be happening. None of them will be fun for everybody...but I cared too much for too long about too many people who didn't return my care, trust, or affection."  
  
"It's about time," she frowned. "You've been good for business, but bad for just about everything else. Not to offend, but...good riddance!"  
  
He laughed. "None taken. Oh, I'll be back tonight, long enough to end the Tendo Ryu and humble Akane. You can yell at me then."  
  
"Wait...what?"  
  
"Didn't your informants tell you about that? Akane accepted, even after I made it a dojo challenge. She wants me to take her seriously, and I'm doing just that."  
  
"Ending the Tendo Ryu...what do you want?"  
  
"Do you realize, Tendo-san, that this is the first time anyone has asked me that question in the last two years? Not 'who' or 'which one' but 'what'. I think you deserve a reward...so this one's on the house. What I want, relative to your family, is to destroy the Tendo Ryu utterly. End this insane dream of re-uniting the schools. Let you and your sisters move on with your lives. Maybe even see your father pull himself out of the rut he's been in for years. Face it, Tendo-san. The Tendo Ryu has been dead for years. I'm just helping everyone else see that."  
  
He took her hand and pushed something into it, then got to his feet and walked away.  
  
"Funny thing is, only way I can do that is by leaving. Lucky for me I have someplace to go. See ya later, Nabiki."  
  
She watched him go, his words tumbling over and over in her head. When she finally remembered the paper he'd pushed into her hand, she was quite surprised to find the five thousand yen she'd paid him for his answer.  
  
At ten to seven, Ranma knocked on the side entrance of the Tendo compound.  
  
"I am here to challenge the heir to the Tendo dojo!"  
  
The door flung open and he faced both fathers in the fullness of their rage.  
  
"Ranma-kun, how dare you show up like this! Honorless boy!"  
  
"My son, I am so ashamed..."  
  
"I am not here to accept your abuse and foolishness. I am here to challenge your heir as a matter of honor. Would you prefer she simply forfeited?" Ranma smiled quietly. "Oh, and I have some impartial witnesses arriving to ensure that there is no foul play on your part."  
  
"How dare you suggest..."  
  
"Knocking someone unconscious and forcing them into a tuxedo for a wedding they haven't agreed to sounds like foul play to me, Tendo-san. Stand aside or forfeit."  
  
Coughing and spluttering, Tendo Soun stood to one side and allowed Ranma to enter. Genma scowled at his son.  
  
"You shouldn't do this, boy..."  
  
Ranma pulled his bangs back from the peculiar tattoo on his forehead. It glittered briefly, causing both men to jump back slightly.  
  
"I am no man's boy. Remember that. If you still wish to talk when I am finished, I will consider hearing you out. But you will give me the respect I have earned, and which you have consistently denied me."  
  
With that, he entered the dojo. Akane was already there, fidgeting quietly off to one side. Nabiki was also present, but Kasumi was not. Distantly, he could hear a knock at the front door—his witnesses were here. With a quiet smile, he bowed politely to the shrine, and then no less politely to his opponent.  
  
"I will permit you to withdraw from this with no loss of honor," he said quietly. "All you need do is apologize to Lady Siobhan for your outburst."  
  
Akane held her tongue, but her face reddened dangerously.  
  
"Very well," Ranma sighed. "We have a few more moments before the hour strikes. Make what peace you may with whichever gods you feel most helpful."  
  
A moment later Kasumi entered, still looking quite frazzled and worn from a day of unwelcome surprises and tension. Behind her, came little Urvasi and then Siobhan. His wife had braided her hair at the temples and bound the rest back into a pony-tail with a white leather cord. She bore her great axe in hand, and the shimmering silver plate armor of her kind shone from beneath the red and black silk surcoat. She gave him a ferociously supportive grin, and his breath caught in his throat...but he managed to remain impassive as he bowed politely.  
  
"Thank you for coming. I regret to inconvenience you with my unworthy request for witnesses at so base an event."  
  
Siobhan snorted, but Urvasi bowed in return.  
  
"Not at all, Lightbringer. Mother regrets in turn that her present business prevents her from coming to honor you with her person. I will represent her and my sisters in accordance with the ancient protocols, as per her instructions."  
  
"Your filial piety does you the highest of honors, Dancer of Joy. May your reward for your long and uncomplaining service be all that you have desired it to be, and more."  
  
Urvasi blushed crimson and hid behind Siobhan, who chuckled.  
  
"She's here?" the Lunar asked. "And it's time. End this with honor, Solar."  
  
"As you wish."  
  
The clock chimed seven. Ranma took his position at one end of the dojo while Urvasi and Siobhan sat opposite the Tendo family and Genma. Akane finally took her place opposite Ranma.  
  
"We do this for real, jerk...and none of your dirty tricks!"  
  
"As you wish. You do remember what will happen when you lose, I hope. I would not want to remind you again."  
  
"You can't even take me for real, Ranma! So I don't have to worry about it."  
  
He sighed and assumed a formal ready position.  
  
There was no particular signal given. One moment, the two competitors merely faced each other. The next, Akane was leaping at Ranma, seeking to strike him with her fists...and clearly expecting him to dodge if she got too close. Instead, he blocked whenever necessary, and even took a few hits before rolling out of the way and reassuming a ready stance.  
  
"Ha! I hit you, you pervert!"  
  
"Did you, now? I'm afraid I didn't notice. Was that your best effort?" His grin grew feral. "I wouldn't want you feeling like you hadn't done your utmost to win."  
  
"Sure, Ranma! Like you can do better!"  
  
His only answer was a knowing, almost pitying smile. He blurred into action. A moment later, Akane impacted the far wall of the dojo and fell limply to the floor. In the dreadfully subdued silence that followed, Urvasi's comment came loud and clear.  
  
"Challenger wins."  
  
Ranma stiffly bowed to the little god-blood, then to the shrine, and finally to the shocked Tendos. Then he went and sat down next to Siobhan while Soun recovered enough to rush to Akane's side.  
  
"Don't bother," Ranma told the man. "She will live. I only knocked the wind out of her."  
  
"How could you do this to my baby girl," Soun wailed.  
  
"Since the day she first rejected my friendship, she has insisted that I have not taken her seriously as a martial artist. She may no longer make that claim. When she awakens, I believe we have a few conditions to discuss. Unless, of course, the promises made by a Tendo are as empty as those made by a Saotome?"  
  
Akane coughed and tried to sit up.  
  
"Damn jerk...you cheated!"  
  
"Enough!" Urvasi barked. "Lord Ranma abided by your condition. He defeated you fairly and by rights more than gently. You have lost, mortal. Accept it, pay your forfeit, and we will depart in peace. Violate your oath, and gain naught but the wrath of heaven!"  
  
"She sounds almost like Kuno-chan," Nabiki muttered to Kasumi, who nodded in agreement.  
  
"Sweeto!"  
  
There is no situation in the Tendo home that cannot be made worse. The cause for escalation in this particular case was Happosai. He went, as per usual, for the largest, bustiest woman in the vicinity...who in this case was wearing articulated plate armor, sporting a very large and ornate battle- axe, and was an untested quality in the chaotic mathematics of Nerima.  
  
One moment, Happosai had attached himself to Siobhan's chest, attempting in vain to nuzzle her through the armor. The next...he was glomping a large, furious, vaguely humanoid tiger-woman who effortlessly peeled him off her front, squeezed him in her massive fist, and forcibly sent the perverted little gnome on a brief domestic flight. Then the axe came up. She twirled it around like a cheerleader's baton before settling into an _en garde_ position.  
  
"What was that...thing," the tiger-woman demanded, in a voice surprisingly like Siobhan's with primal ferocity and a heavy dose of implied violence added to the harmonics. "Give me its name that I may harry it unto death! It is an abomination on the face of the world!" She flexed her muscles and roared loud enough to rattle the dojo walls.  
  
Nabiki fainted. Genma wet himself and then fainted. Soun was too preoccupied with Akane's presumed injuries to notice. Akane goggled. Kasumi excused herself to make tea. And Ranma...  
  
Ranma blinked in surprise. He was in the presence of a cat. A large, human-like cat. A large, human-like cat to whom he was married. And there wasn't so much as a tickle of the paralyzing fear he usually felt around domestic felines. Normally, this situation should be sending him directly into the grip of the neko-ken, but...all he felt was intense pride and a bit hungry for something he couldn't quite name.  
  
Urvasi glanced between Ranma and Siobhan a few times. Suddenly she blushed and snapped her fingers.  
  
"Ah, I knew I forgot to mention something!"  
  
Ranma reached over and laid a hand on a massive paw. The tiger-woman looked down at him...no, he told himself strictly, this was Siobhan. This was his wife, who had waited for him to return across untold ages and countless human lifetimes. He would not fail her now.  
  
"That was the Grand Master of Anything Goes Martial Arts, of which the Tendo Ryu partakes. His name is Happosai. You will find he is not well regarded. His conduct is a disgrace to all true martial artists. He is a thief, a pervert, and a childish cad. Unfortunately, he is also quite skilled."  
  
"That...taught this?" Siobhan pointed to Tendo Soun.  
  
"And the other one, yes," Ranma nodded, indicating Genma. "The Saotome Ryu was mine by right of inheritance. I had cause to reconsider my association with it earlier today. There are other schools than this."  
  
Siobhan was silent for a minute, which gave others time to recover. Finally, about the time Soun noticed that there was a large and scary cat- woman with an axe in his dojo, she nodded solemnly.  
  
"I trust your decision, Husband. This is not a worthy school. Let it die out." She snorted. "No, let it be forgotten, even by the Maiden of Secrets!"  
  
"Wait," Soun cried out. "Perhaps...we could...talk this over?"  
  
"What is there to discuss?" Siobhan seemed to shimmer and shrink back to her human guise. "That gnome is the founder of the school, yes? Smash them both!"  
  
"Er, yes...ashamed as I am to admit it." Soun shifted nervously. "But there is no need to leap to conclusions! Please...won't you enjoy the hospitality of my house while we discuss this matter? Maybe a more agreeable solution can be found..."  
  
Siobhan looked at Ranma and shrugged. Urvasi tugged at his sleeve. He bent down.  
  
"Lord...pardon me again...Ranma, while you are just and fair in your desire to see an end to this misguided and foolish arrangement, Mother has confided in me that she is not satisfied if matters are merely broken off. I suggest you at least hear the mortal out and take time before you answer." She grinned up at him. "Besides, this will give you a greater opportunity to tie up any other loose ends before abandoning this den of fools."  
  
"You're up to something, aren't you?"  
  
"I am my mother's daughter, Ranma. Have you remembered her yet?"  
  
"Not really, no."  
  
"She was once known as the Confounder of Wisdom, among other titles. These days, her successor is known as Murphy. Take that as you like it, but she is not yet done with these mortals."  
  
"Very well." Ranma straightened up and cleared his throat. "Tendo-san, in return for the great hospitality which you have shown me in the past, I will grant you this one request...on the condition that there will be no further discussion of marriages." He held up his left hand. "That matter is already settled."  
  
"But..." Soun sighed. "Very well. I accept your condition. Shall we retire to the house?"  
  
Ranma nodded reluctantly. "Let us finish this, Tendo-san. With honor."  
  
End Chapter Six.  
  
To Be Continued.  
  
Tune in next time, when Ukyo learns the hard way about Lunar mating habits, Glatisant confesses her Master Plan (#37, evil laugh optional), and Ryoga wins...sort of.  
  
Author's Notes.  
  
What, Ranma OOC? He now has a 'get out of stupid parental promises' card in his pocket! He's also dimly aware that he's no longer the dumb jock he's been raised to be...and no longer willing to just grin and bear it when the fathers try to browbeat him. This doesn't stop them from trying, of course...  
  
There's a side story that more or less follows this chapter, posted separately. It was actually written before I started Cestus Sol.  
  
Did Exaltation cure the Neko-ken? That's a good question. The answer is almost as much a secret as Siobhan's three vital measurements. 


	8. Lost Ends

Disclaimer: The author owns neither Ranma nor Exalted, and does not hereby challenge all rights and privileges enjoyed by the creative masterminds who do. All glory and honor to Takahashi-megumi, without whom life would be so much duller.  
  
Cestus Sol  
  
A Ranma/Exalted crossover by the MadPanda  
  
Chapter Seven: Lost Ends  
  
The long and pointless evening rant was over. Akane had fled to the relative sanctuary of her room, with its little-girl furnishings and the painted wooden duck sign on the door. Genma had been beaten senseless with the living room table after lunging after his son-turned-daughter. Tendo Soun, left to carry on, had gotten enough of a grip on himself at long last to realize that browbeating Ranma was a foolish thing to do under the circumstances. Without Nabiki's counsel and snide remarks, however, the poor man was unable to think of any way to continue a conversation with his former son-in-law-to-be and...her. Ranma still sat patiently, having said little but the word 'no' as often as necessary since flattening his father with the table. And the woman beside him...silent and stone-faced, she did nothing that invited discourtesy (except, of course, being present).  
  
"Are you quite finished, Tendo?"  
  
"What? Uhm...yes. Yes, I...we're finished." Soun glanced at Genma, who probably wouldn't wake up until the morning. "Unless you'd be willing to accept Nabiki or Kasumi instead of Akane..."  
  
"You gave me that choice once already. They made it for me, as I recall."  
  
Soun tried to laugh. "I may have been too hasty, that first night..."  
  
Ranma frowned. Siobhan scowled. Soun stopped laughing. In the sudden and awkward moment of silence that followed, Nabiki raced past the living room to the stairs and up to her room. A few moments later, Kasumi followed her younger sister, pausing only to bow politely before she too fled to her bedroom.  
  
"So," Soun cleared his throat. "You will not reconsider?"  
  
"No," Ranma stated firmly. "Not unless you can give me a better reason than an old and vague promise to do so. None of your daughters wish to marry me, and I have no need of a second wife."  
  
Siobhan laid her hand on Ranma's shoulder.  
  
"I do not know," she smirked. "That servant girl might be fun to tumble."  
  
Ranma laughed while Soun gasped in surprise and alarm. "Do not tease him so, love! Besides, Kasumi was the one who first suggested Akane would make the perfect bride for me. While I do not hold her having thus rejected my hand against her, it would make any overtures more awkward."  
  
The Lunar snorted in amusement and chuckled to herself. "Pity! There's fire under that apron..."  
  
Soun spluttered with indignation and shock, while Ranma merely shook his head.  
  
"Behave yourself, wife. We are guests here."  
  
"Hmph. I would have thought a man would feel complimented to hear his daughters praised so." She laughed louder, reaching over to clap Soun on the shoulder. "And this even after such haste to marry them off! Do they displease you? Are they disobedient? If they do not offend you, why be in such a hurry to see them married off?"  
  
"It was...a dream. A dream shared by two friends, students of the same master," Ranma said solemnly, allowing Soun time to regain his composure. "That neither of them considered the consequences of their other actions to that dream...well, nobody's perfect."  
  
Soun nodded. "Unfortunately, the Master is less perfect than most. Ranma-kun, it is late. If you and your...wife...wish to stay here for the night..."  
  
"The dojo will do," Siobhan purred. "It is roomy. And certainly more private than the guest room."  
  
Ranma blushed in spite of himself.  
  
"Well then," said Soun as he shifted uneasily. "Sleep well and we can continue this in the morning...about the Tendo Ryu remaining intact and all."  
  
"Are you dropping the arrangement?"  
  
"We shall see, Ranma-kun. We shall see."  
  
With that, Soun bade them good night and withdrew to his own room. A few moments later, Urvasi reappeared from the kitchen.  
  
"Where did everybody...oh, I see the architect of misery remains yet. Tell me, Ranma, did you smite him for a current fault this time or a past one?"  
  
"Current. He tried to beat me into accepting his fool's bargain yet again. And what mischief have you been about all this time?"  
  
Urvasi giggled. "Lady Nabiki lost a bet, and her sister harbors a secret. Is she truly so innocent as she appears?"  
  
"Kasumi? Probably. Why?" Ranma frowned in thought. "Oh. This would have something to do with their swift departure earlier tonight, right?"  
  
"Just so, Ranma. Just so." The god-blood stretched in a way that would prove very distracting, were she a few years more matured. "You are staying here for the night?"  
  
"Aye," Siobhan answered. "We have things to discuss, my husband and I."  
  
Urvasi nodded. "I shall bring Mother to you on the morrow. For now, I must go and check on Lady Nabiki, and then I will return home. Good evening to you, Ranma, Lady Nightfang."  
  
"Be well, Apsara," Siobhan nodded back.  
  
"G'nite," Ranma smiled. After a moment he stood and held out a hand to his wife. She took it and allowed him to lead her back out to the dojo.  
  
Clasping spoon-fashion on the hard wooden floor, Siobhan's arms wrapped around Ranma-chan's tiny waist, the two lovers merely enjoyed each other's presence for a time. Eventually, Siobhan kissed the back of Ranma's neck.  
  
"Just a moment. There's something I want to do again...you used to enjoy sleeping with me this way."  
  
While her currently female husband squirmed, blushed, and stammered, she sat up and shimmered through another transformation. This one, nearly as startling as the first, ended with a large white tiger curling up around the pig-tailed martial artist. Ranma started, fidgeted, and finally relaxed against the warm, furry body beside him.  
  
"I...ought to have figured you could do this," Ranma sighed. "It makes only too much sense. And, of course, you turn into a tiger."  
  
"This is a problem for you?" Her voice echoed in his mind, though not his ears.  
  
"Remind me to tell you about the _nekoken_ training sometime. You don't seem to set it off, so we're okay, but...normally I don't react well to ca...ts. Hey, I can say the word!"  
  
"Cat Fist training?"  
  
"Long story. Not one of Genma's better ideas."  
  
"I do not like that mortal. I do not like him at all."  
  
"Try living with him. So, uhm, what did you want to talk about? I mean, where would you like to start? There's so much ground to cover..."  
  
The tiger was silent for a while.  
  
"I hated you, once. For sending me away. For telling me to leave you to your death."  
  
"I remembered that. Dreamt it, actually."  
  
"Yes...I was very angry for a long time. But you were right to have done so. I know that now. As much as it hurt to admit it, you were right. If I had died by your side, there is much that would have gone undone." She made a feline noise that seemed to indicate amusement. "I would not have met Glatisant, for one."  
  
"Yeah, she's interesting. Like a Chinese curse."  
  
"Hmm? Yes, I suppose so."  
  
"Siobhan?"  
  
"Yes, Ranma?"  
  
"Would you tell me a story? I mean, you obviously remember what I was back during this First Age or whatever. But, uhm, I don't...except for my dreams, and this funny feeling I get whenever I think about or look at you, I don't really have much to go on. I want to know more. About me. About you. About us...hey, listen to me, getting' all soppy!"  
  
Another amused rumble from the tiger.  
  
"I will tell you a story, my heart. I will tell you of the day we met."  
  
Ranma sighed and blushed again, embarrassed by his own swelling emotions, then his inability to be comfortable with them, and finally his failure to hide both the other two reactions.  
  
"I'd...really like that."  
  
"Let me see...it was in the capital city of the Dragon Kings, long lost Rathess. You had come out of your lands in the southeast of Creation to visit a dying friend. He was one of the reptilian soldier-philosophers, a noble and generous creature named Lord Ssathua, and you two had many adventures over the course of his lives...I will speak more of him another time, for his memory deserves a story all its own. This was not remarkable—you visited often, trading tales and reminiscing. But unlike prior visits, this time you came with only a single mortal-born squire as your companion. No entorage, no adoring servants, no luxury...just you and the boy and your two horses. You caused quite a stir with such modesty!"  
  
"As for me, I was newly Exalted. My mentor and I had come to the same city to visit Lord Ssathua as well, but not knowing of his advanced age and failing health we dawdled too long and came too late to meet the venerable scholar. Even as my master cursed his poor timing, we saw you help your friend die on the altar at the Temple of the Sun..."  
  
"Wait! I...killed him? I killed my friend? That doesn't make any sense!"  
  
"Please, Ranma! Calm down and I can explain what you do not yet remember."  
  
"Oh...okay. I'll trust you. But that's just...I don't like it."  
  
"You need not like it. But I promise you, you did no wrong. The Dragon Kings did not fear death, for they were swiftly reborn and retained their memory from life to life. Often the aged or infirm would seek an honorable release in open combat or voluntary sacrifice to the Unconquered Sun. They would have seen your cooperation as a high honor...for you, or any other Exalt." She butted him lightly with her broad head. "They found your dislike of killing to be an amusing aberration for one who so loved battle...but they accepted it, just as they accepted your need to mourn your friend's absence. They, knowing that he would swiftly return, saw no need of such sentiment...yet they did not revel in pain and suffering, nor were they cruel. Merely quite different in their ways. Do you see?"  
  
"Oh. Uhm, okay, I guess."  
  
"Those were different days, husband. The world has changed. You have not, overmuch. Anyway, after you helped your friend pass with honor and glory, my master petitioned you for the right to see Lord Ssathua's collection of rare manuscripts. You refused at once. You did not have permission to grant permission, and your friend had not thought to give you access to his things before he died. There and then, my mentor challenged you to unarmed combat. If you lost, he said, you would have to give him what he asked. It was foolish of him, really. Here we were, petitioning against reason for rights that were not yours to grant, and demanding a trial by combat! Can you imagine?"  
  
"All too well."  
  
"I was horrified! Here old Timberclaws himself, my mentor, daring a Prince of Creation to single combat for a library that time itself might bring to him? Even that morning he had lectured me on decorum and etiquette! You can imagine how I felt, watching him break the very rules he demanded I obey."  
  
"Yeah," Ranma laughed. "I know that feeling all too well. Go on."  
  
"The other Dragon Kings, always in the mood to watch a good fight, cleared a space for the two of you and let you go at it. With bare fists flailing, you did." The tiger fell silent for a moment. "By the Goddess, you two were magnificent! Your auras, clashing together on the stones, striking and dodging and blocking...and ringing clearly through it all I heard your joyous laughter. When my mentor lost his temper and his control at long last, you drove him from the ring to the cheering of the throng."  
  
"I rushed to my mentor's side, intent on helping him. In his rage-blind frustration, he knew me not and struck at me. Had I not been pulled away at the last moment, he might have crippled me or worse!" Another feline laugh. "Instead my dignity alone was wounded, for I had been swept off my feet and carried to a safe distance. Swooning in shock, I neglected to punish the fool who dared to touch me without my permission...and a good thing, too. You apologized for the familiarity and returned to help my mentor to his feet again, leaving me to gawk after you like a mere mortal wench, struck dumb by lust and adoration."  
  
"That sounds familiar..."  
  
"As I said, husband, you have not changed so much. It was only much later that I even got a good look at you with unclouded eyes. I found you...magnificent. Striking. Arousing. But those words described any Solar, and most Lunars besides. That is not the reason I begged Timberclaws to petition you to accept me as your bride, those many years later."  
  
"Not my good looks, hunh?" Ranma yawned. "So why'd you bother with me? Why did you wait? I mean, I sent ya packin' at th' end, didn't I?"  
  
"Many another Solar would not have helped a stranger avoid a blow like that. Most would not help a fallen opponent to rise again. Indeed, very few of your fellows would have bothered to come, as you did, without an entourage. Whatever your faults, and you have those, you also have a good and kind heart. Valor and compassion are a rare mix, my husband. For that alone, for you alone, I would have waited for another million mortal lifetimes or another hundred ages of this world."  
  
"Nuh-uh," Ranma muttered. "Never gonna send ya away again. Want ya to stay..."  
  
"I will." Siobhan waited as he fell asleep, curled against her, before finally putting her head down and joining her young lover in dreams.  
  
Morning came all too soon. Ranma woke to the unfamiliar feeling of being cradled in someone's arms. Reflex almost took over before he remembered that this was Siobhan, not Shampoo, not Akane, and that he was not about to be hit. A moment later he also remembered that his wife was currently a very large cat. Sitting up, he enjoyed the novel experience of looking at a feline without feeling any fear at all.  
  
She opened her eyes when he reached out and scratched her chin, leaning her head back to allow him greater access. It wasn't until she started to purr that Ranma spoke.  
  
"That feels good, doesn't it?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Heh. My wife, the overgrown pussycat." He smiled happily and kissed her muzzle.  
  
She snorted. "You think so? And am I also an uncute tomboy?"  
  
"Yep. Don't wanna be married to some shrinking, shrieking little princess, now do I? Besides, ya ain't cute. Beautiful, yes. Sexy...yeah. But cute?"  
  
Siobhan flipped over on her back, exposing her belly and flanks, and assumed a very kittenish posture, batting her eyes at him. Ranma laughed, and her voice joined his.  
  
"Okay, okay, ya made yer point. But ya know somethin'? Ya understood what I meant by that."  
  
"I'd better," came her answer, mock anger and hidden laughter heavy in her voice.  
  
"Oh, my! Uhm, good morning," Kasumi stood in the door. "Breakfast is almost ready, Ranma-kun. Your...wife...is welcome to join us if she wishes. And the bath is ready. Will you be attending school with Akane today?"  
  
"Thanks, Kasumi. I think I'll let Siobhan take her bath first. And I hadn't really thought about school, but you're right. I should go."  
  
Siobhan rolled to her feet and padded over to the door, looking up at the nervous girl.  
  
"Ranma-kun, who is your guest," Kasumi sounded scared out of her wits. "And why aren't you going into..._nekoken_?"  
  
Ranma laughed as Siobhan took that moment to shift back to her human form. Kasumi was suddenly looking into those intense silver-blue feline eyes at much closer proximity than the Japanese girl would have liked. Then the strange _gaijin_ woman did something even more bizarre—she sniffed the air around Kasumi's face.  
  
"Relax, mortal. You are not prey," she rumbled. Behind her, Ranma rolled on the floor, howling with laughter. The woman's voice took on a sultry note when she added, "not for killing and eating, anyway."  
  
Kasumi retreated a half-step, blushing furiously. Siobhan reached out and lightly patted her shoulder.  
  
"That was a joke, mortal. A joke. You know, not to be taken seriously? I did not mean to frighten you overmuch."  
  
"B-but Urvasi-chan said...oh, it was most improper!"  
  
"The Qiling likes to make mischief," Siobhan nodded. "It is her nature to do so. As it is her mother's. Whatever she told you was likely true, as she cannot lie. She would say it in a way that would cause trouble of one sort or another."  
  
"Oh. My!" Kasumi's blush deepened. "And she seemed so nice and helpful!"  
  
"She is that, as well. What did she tell you, that you blush like a pure temple maiden?"  
  
"I...oh, my! Breakfast! I must..." Kasumi turned and dashed back to her kitchen. Siobhan turned to Ranma, who was still laughing too hard to speak.  
  
"I suppose you can explain that, husband mine?"  
  
"Poor Kasumi," he managed between guffahs. "She really needs to get out more often. Okay, lemme show you where the bath is, if ya wanna take one."  
  
"A long soak in hot water sounds very nice. Soft, overly civilized, but nice. Will you join me?"  
  
"Love, I'd be delighted, but I can't take a bath around here without someone interruptin' most of the time. I join ya, we won't even get ta scrub each other's backs before Shampoo or Ryoga comes through the wall, or Akane'll walk in and...well, ya get th' idea. Later, maybe, I'll take ya up on that." Ranma blushed at the implication.  
  
Siobhan looked a bit surprised, then smiled seductively. "When we first married, you were the worldly wise veteran, and I the innocent cub in arms. It looks like I get to be experienced one this time. This will be fun." She patted his shoulder, kissed him on the cheek. "But not until you are ready. Show me to the baths, Ranma. Please."  
  
While she bathed, Ranma enjoyed a quick cup of tea in the kitchen. After a few moments, Nabiki stumbled in, looking a good deal less awake and aware than usual.  
  
"Hey, Saoto...uhm, Ranma. Where's your pussycat?"  
  
"Taking a bath. Why?"  
  
"No reason."  
  
"You look terrible."  
  
"Really? Gee, thanks. I didn't notice! I guess not sleeping well leaves me looking like something the Kuno-chan dragged home."  
  
"Sorry. Let me guess. Urvasi told you something that sort of turned your life upside down, inside out, and generally screwed up."  
  
Nabiki held up her left hand. Ranma's eyes caught the silver band at once. He nodded solemnly and gave the girl what he hoped was a supportive and understanding smile.  
  
"If you wanna talk about it...I think we're gonna go stay at Glatisant's shrine for a bit. You can find me there."  
  
"Why?" He heard the rest of her question easily enough: why would you help me, after all I've done to you? Why don't you revel in my discomfort? Why aren't you gloating?  
  
"Nabiki-san, who else around here understands what that ring truly means? Besides, I'm gonna charge ya. Feel better?"  
  
Nabiki tried not to laugh. She tried not to smile. She really did. But her habitual smirk became a full smile when she realized that yes, she was feeling much better, hearing those words.  
  
"And just what do you think you can charge me for this supposed help?"  
  
"Services rendered, one favor for another." Ranma finished his tea with a single gulp. "You can help me figure out how to break this to Ucchan."  
  
"When did you get this smart, Ranma-kun?"  
  
"The truth?"  
  
"Please."  
  
"I've probably always been this smart, but Genma never let me develop it. So I kind of owe Glatisant something—they gave you one of those little glass orbs to go with the ring, didn't they?"  
  
"Ah. Yeah, Urvasi did."  
  
"But you haven't broken it yet."  
  
"No."  
  
Ranma smirked. "It changes everything. Exaltation, I mean. I can see all the options I've never realized I had. For the first time in my life, I can think past the short term. And what you might do with that kind of freedom, it would be just incredible..."  
  
Ranma's comment was cut off by an angry roar of feminine outrage from the bath, followed a moment later by sounds of battle. Ranma leapt to his feet and would have stormed off to see what had angered Siobhan, but a Ryoga-shaped blur hit the koi pond. Nabiki grabbed at Ranma's sleeve.  
  
"Hold on, Mustang! Did you see that?"  
  
"See what? All I see is bacon on the hoof," Ranma grumbled sourly. "I can guess what just happened...maybe you better tell Akane that her precious little pet piggy is back."  
  
"Why would I do..._kami-sama_!"  
  
A furious, dripping wet, and naked Siobhan dashed through the living room and skidded to a halt on the back deck, seemingly oblivious to her state of undress and with her tattoos aflame with the silvery light of a Lunar battle aura! Striding over to the pond, she retrieved a small black piglet and shook it fiercely.  
  
"You! You insufferable little mortal worm!"  
  
"Okay, I'll handle this. You just stay back here, Nabiki."  
  
"Ranma, was that...did I just see...Ryoga? But that's P-chan..."  
  
"What do you think, Nabiki?" With that sour remark, Ranma rose and followed after his wife, trying not to pay attention to all of her tattoos.  
  
"Husband, this..."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Long story. Go finish your bath. I'll make sure Bacon Bits here doesn't..."  
  
"Ranma! Quit teasing P-chan!"  
  
Ranma grimaced. Here the merry-go-round went again...Akane stomped out and snatched her 'pet' back from Siobhan. The Lunar narrowed her eyes and would have probably smacked Akane in return had Ranma not held her arm.  
  
"You _gaijin_ monster woman! Stay away from my P-chan! And put some clothes on! You're as big a pervert as Ranma!"  
  
Ranma pulled Siobhan away from Akane before the Lunar completely lost her temper. "I'll explain later, I promise. Go finish your bath and let Akane have her pet, okay?"  
  
"He tried to bathe with me without permission!"  
  
"He probably didn't even see you. Trust me, Ryoga's kind of dense where women are involved. And coming from me, that's saying something."  
  
Siobhan fumed but nodded and returned to her bath. On his way back to the kitchen, Ranma was interrupted by a knock at the front door. Out of sheer habit, he answered it. Little Urvasi and Glatisant stood there expectantly.  
  
"Good morning to you, Ranma! Here we are, as I promised."  
  
"Indeed, Lightbringer. Good morrow. How fare you?"  
  
"Uhm...well enough, I guess. Listen, ya might wanna reschedule. We just had..."  
  
"An incident," Glatisant grinned. "I heard the Nightfang's cry two blocks from here. Which of your many complications was it?"  
  
"The pig."  
  
"Ah, yes. Tendo Akane's one true fiancée! What did he do, walk in on the Nightfang in her bath?"  
  
Ranma looked at her carefully for a long moment. The strange woman gave no hint of sarcasm, guile, innuendo, or foresight in her expression. That, he decided, meant that somehow she must have known....  
  
"Good guess."  
  
"Assemble the mortals, if you would please. I would like to speak with them. You, the Eclipse, and the Nightfang are excused if you wish."  
  
"The who?"  
  
Urvasi coughed. "She has not yet embraced her legacy, Mother..."  
  
"Oh. Very well, then. The mortal you call Nabiki. She is excused from this tedious and unpleasant business." Glatisant waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "But of course you are also invited to sit in, if you wish. There may be some small entertainment value in it for you three."  
  
So it was that breakfast at the Tendo's that morning had a few hangers-on. Urvasi gleefully accepted a place beside Nabiki, and Glatisant and Siobhan flanked Ranma. P-chan sat in Akane's lap, and the first sign that all was not normal was that Ranma seemed utterly unconcerned about the porcine interloper.  
  
"Thank you all for coming," Glatisant beamed. "We'll be announcing a few changes to the workgroup organizational chart for the coming fiscal quarter. First of all, Ranma and Siobhan will be moving to a new account..."  
  
Urvasi shot her mother a withering glare.  
  
"Really, Mother! Must you be so deliberately obscure? They don't understand a word you're saying."  
  
"No? Well, I was hoping to soften the blow, but...if I must be direct, I must. Ranma, do you remember that I offered you a place of your own, to protect and serve, possessed by right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"It is ready for you. Since you are no longer bound to this inauspicious place, I invite you and Lady Siobhan to take possession of your manse at once."  
  
"Now see here..." Soun and Genma jumped to their feet, preparing to defend the arrangement. Glatisant ignored them, waving her hand in a complex and dismissive gesture that somehow robbed both fathers of their voice and movement  
  
"Lady Nabiki, you are welcome to join them. I made certain that there is room enough for guests. Of course, since your spouse has not yet appeared..." The strange woman shrugged and smiled. "You may choose to remain here, at the center of the madness, whichever you might prefer. I would advise against it, but the choice is yours."  
  
"Why would I want to move out?"  
  
"Let me see. Ah, yes. What do you think your little sister will do when she learns her little pet pig is really..." Glatisant suddenly stopped herself, coughed a few times, and grinned. "Pardon me. That would have been far too abrupt."  
  
"P-chan is really what?" Akane demanded.  
  
"Not what he seems," Urvasi piped up. "And far more favored than he ought to be, under the circumstances." The little girl did not bother to keep the distaste and disapproval out of her voice. "Perversion and betrayal, mortal, are not where you so eagerly place them."  
  
"You're giving her to Ryoga?" Ranma fought a sudden impulse to laugh. "I suppose that's just. He will survive her cooking, and she seems to like him. Let it be done. Now he can never say I haven't given him something good."  
  
"What? You can't just..." Akane spluttered and tried to summon an argument that wouldn't involve a mallet.  
  
"Cast you aside? Why not, Akane? You've never trusted me, accepted me, or listened to me. For that matter, the only reason you seemed to accept my presence was as a punching bag or a test subject for your cooking." Ranma spoke casually, no hint of anger or hurt in his voice. In ways, that matter of fact tone just made it worse. "I won't bother listing all the times you broke off our engagement over misunderstandings. The simple truth is that you are not willing to trust and support me. So...yes, I am casting you aside. Or rather, I am returning you your freedom. I wish you well, Tendo-san."  
  
"_Ranma no baka_!"  
  
Cradling the squirming and squealing object of contention in her arms, Akane suddenly rose and dashed out of the living room, chanting her usual mantra to hide her tears.  
  
"Real smooth, Ranma-kun," Nabiki smirked. "Why do all the women find you so attractive?"  
  
"I don't know," he replied. "Why do people still accept promises that Genma makes?" He stood and stretched. "I'll just go and get my things. They're in the dojo anyway. So, do what ya gotta do, Glatisant."  
  
"Don't mind if I do," the strange woman grinned ferally. After Ranma left, oblivious to the hungry looks his wife gave him, Glatisant snapped her fingers...and restored Soun's voice, if not Genma's.  
  
"How dare you do this! The arrangement is a matter of family honor! Ranma must marry Akane!"  
  
"Must he. Tell me, man most mortal, how you restrain one who has slain a god before your very eyes? How do you plan on enforcing your will on him now that he is again in his power?"  
  
"It is a matter of honor."  
  
"Yes, so you say. But has not this," she indicated Genma, "also promised him to others? In bad faith, no less. And all those promises are equally binding...on Ranma. "  
  
"Only the Tendo arrangement is valid! Ranma's mother supports it."  
  
"So what? She also abandoned her only child to the care of an utter moron. Her opinion in this matter carries surprisingly little weight."  
  
"She is his mother!"  
  
"Of course she is. So what you are saying is that in spite of their feelings, in spite of all evidence against the match being a good one, you would force one as powerful as he into a marriage that would cause nothing but pain and resentment...because you want it to happen?"  
  
Soun opened his mouth to react. And shut it again. And thought.  
  
"But...they...nothing but pain and resentment?"  
  
"You would have done far better to allow him time to know your daughters before forcing him to make a decision. Better still, you ought have allowed him the choice you promised. That would have been the honorable thing to do." Glatisant smiled suddenly. "But it matters no more! A Solar bound to a Mortal? Don't be ridiculous! She is not for him. You might as well affiance my lovely daughter to one of your two remaining children."  
  
"Oh my!"  
  
"Mother!"  
  
"You see? They sound like the perfect couple already. Kasumi obviously loves small children, and Urvasi adores her elders. Their love life may be a bit strained, but it's the principle of the thing that is important, and in any case their feelings have no weight in the matter. Plus they will both become natural allies, despising us all for pushing them together in such fashion. Let us agree to unite our families thus, Tendo Soun!"  
  
With a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he had heard so much of that disturbing line of reasoning once before, Soun took the path of least resistance and fainted to the distant sounds of Glatisant's mad laughter. Urvasi simply hid her face with her hands and moaned in annoyance and disgust. Kasumi sat, rooted in shock. Nabiki glanced at Siobhan, who was idly cleaning her fingernails with a knife.  
  
"Did you get all that," she asked the Lunar.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So, if I ask you to sum up on my behalf..."  
  
Siobhan grinned and held out her hand in the same 'give me money' gesture so familiar to Nabiki. The Tendo girl sighed.  
  
"How about we take it out in a trade of services rendered?"  
  
"Oh?" The large woman raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Are you that good?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I accept, should he permit it."  
  
Nabiki copied Urvasi's grumbling. "Am I missing something here?"  
  
"You just offered to bed her," Urvasi said with a resigned air. "She thinks you're offering to sleep off your debt."  
  
"No! No, no, no! You've got the wrong idea...I'm not...I mean, no offense but...oh, damn." Nabiki repeated the face-plant, wondering if this was how Ranma felt whenever events got too fast for him to keep up.  
  
Kasumi got unsteadily to her feet and returned to her one and only refuge, the kitchen. Urvasi watched her go, a slight frown marring her youthful features.  
  
"That was unfair of you, Mother. Kasumi simply did not deserve that, not even in jest. And I did not deserve to be so used by you, not for so base and mean a point."  
  
"True...but as Lord Ranma says, she did reject him almost out of hand. A small punishment for a small sin is just, is it not? And you know better than to take me seriously on such matters." She turned back to Nabiki. "So. Will you come with us, Solar?"  
  
"Can I think about it? I mean..." Nabiki gestured at Siobhan. "I don't want to seem forward or be misunderstood or..."  
  
"You want him? Earn my permission in bed." The Lunar suddenly roared with laughter, swatted Nabiki on the shoulder, and got to her feet, calling after Ranma.  
  
"She's only joking," Urvasi mumbled. "So, we've humbled the master of the house, given the princess her piglet, given the servant girl a month's nightmares, and embarrassed the Quill of Heaven in her lair. It has been a busy morning. What to do now, Mother mine?"  
  
"Oh, I should like a few words with this fat fool, here. Urvasi, return to the shrine. Lady Nabiki, I do apologize for disrupting your breakfast. I should like to speak with you further, if you would care to accompany my daughter and the Nightfang there? And Lord Ranma will be attending school. You needn't worry about him."  
  
"I'm not. Akane is another story."  
  
Glatisant shrugged. "Suit yourself. But I would tell you to leave them be, princess and piglet both."  
  
"What does P-chan have...wait. That was Ryoga I saw hitting the pond! P-chan is..."  
  
"They deserve to be happy in their mutual misery, don't you think?" Glatisant smiled warmly. "I am only ever cruel to be kind, Crowned Sun. Their union will be far happier than one your father had planned for her."  
  
Nabiki shook her head. "You mean you know what will happen?"  
  
"Close enough. But that's another time, and another talk. Go comfort your sister."  
  
Shaking her head, Nabiki went...and tried to ignore the muffled screams from the living room as Glatisant 'discussed' matters with Genma. This was shaping up to be a day worth taking off, just to stop the weirdness from overwhelming her.  
  
End Chapter Seven.  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
Tune in next time when Ucchan gets an offer she might refuse, Cologne has a bad day, and Nabiki levels up.  
  
Author's Notes.  
  
Sorry it's a bit late. Real Life happened. In compensation, this is about twice as long as originally envisioned. Next up, the other side story (which might just end up as the next chapter, now that I think about it). 


	9. Manse and Memory

This is a work of fan-fiction and the usual disclaimers apply. Other people own Ranma and the rest of the Nerima Wrecking Crew. Other people own Exalted and all that applies. Tack on the usual boilerplate here about OOC, SI, and the other warping, folding, spindling, and general mutilation of the source material.   
Cestus Fortuna 

A Ranma/Exalted Crossover by the MadPanda

Chapter Eight: Manse and Memory

After his pleasant treetop lunch with Siobhan, Ranma spent the afternoon daydreaming…or, rather, remembering. While distant and hazy memories of another man's life weren't something he was quite comfortable with, it beat this geometry stuff hands down. Statement, reason, statement…bleah! In his experience a real problem was more like 'how to make Kuno see the truth and back off'! So he let his mind wander instead, hoping against hope that his new soul held answers to his remaining complications.

_Near the end of the First Age, he had attended a party held by an old acquaintance. The event was expected to last at least a week and more likely two. The food and entertainment were as lavish as the jaded imagination of a Solar could devise. His friend's hospitality was always worth the trip, even though he preferred a more austere lifestyle. True to himself, he had spent most of his time there trying to find a quiet and peaceful moment in the gardens: not a simple task between the fountains with flowing wine, the revelers, the dancers, and the other myriad distractions of mind and body that abounded at these events._

_Eventually, he finally found his desired quiet corner. A gazebo by an immaculately groomed _koi_ pond proved a fortuitous shelter against the pleasurable temptations elsewhere. It was almost perfect, diminished only a very little by the strange woman seated there on the cushions and staring listlessly at the _shogi_ board set in front of her._

She was draped in dark-colored loose silk robes. Her long pale blonde hair glinted in the sunlight. She looked either totally absorbed in the initial setup of the game or bored beyond description. When he moved to announce himself, she shushed him and gestured to the cushions opposite her.

"_If you stay, Sword of Heaven, you ought to at least play a game or two."_

_He laughed at her serious tone. She dared order him about? Then again, she wasn't exactly demanding him to do something arduous, and it would surely keep him away from the drunken, debauched revel elsewhere. With a shrug, he sat._

"_Do I know you, fair one?"_

_She shook her head. "No, we've never met before today. You would have remembered."_

_He laughed again. Only much later and on careful reflection would he also remember that she had not said this in an arrogant or self-absorbed way…but by then he had learned both the truth of that statement and how badly he had misunderstood her._

_She had given him the first move. He reached out and moved one of the pieces almost without thinking, already mulling over a strategy that would lead to his vict…_

The woman stood with fluid grace, bowed deeply, and with no trace of sarcasm or disrespect declared that "my lord demonstrates that he is a most subtle and accomplished player. I concede my defeat. Shall we try this again tomorrow?" With that, she turned and left him sitting there, trying to remain somewhat dignified as he could with his mouth hanging open in astonishment.

_Siobhan had found him there, some hours later, staring at the board and trying to puzzle out how a single, simple move could have given away so much._

"But she wasn't crazy after all," Ranma said softly.

"Excuse me, Saotome-kun?"

Ranma blinked, gave the teacher a lame excuse, and opened his textbook at just the right moment to be saved from further embarrassment by the last bell of the day.

"Nice try, Saotome-kun. Stay after class."

"Yes, _sensei_." Ranma sighed. He had no time to waste! If Genma was up to one of his schemes, or Tendo still sought that damn arrangement, he would be a sitting duck here in school…wait. That was what used to be. He had other ways of dealing with the old men, if need be.

As soon as the last of the other students cleared the classroom, the teacher walked over, closed the door firmly, and smiled at him. Then he shimmered around the edges for a moment, and abruptly shrank until 'he' revealed a girl in early adolescence. She had lavender hair, peculiar golden eyes, and the same exotic style of clothing worn by little Urvasi.

"Ah," she grinned. "I do feel so _much_ better as myself! May greetings and salutations be yours, Sword of Heaven."

"Okay, I _know_ I don't know you…"

The girl laughed. "Lalita."

"Uhm…what?"

"That is what Mother named me, Daybringer. She bade me bring you tidings. Your manse is complete and ready for your use. I am to lead you there and consort with you until other duties call me from your side."

"My manse." Memory stirred, and a sense of a place of power and sanctuary came to mind. "Oh. Okay. And you're coming with me, right?"

"Of course. You will have questions, I expect."

"Yeah, and I'll start with…what'd you do with my real _sensei_?"

"I have not harmed the mortal. He will awaken in the morning in time to come to work, feeling more relaxed and refreshed than he has in years. I would not want him to suffer merely so that I could surprise you and the Eclipse."

"The eclipse? Oh, you mean Nabiki. She, uh, hasn't…"

"Oh. Well, that might be a bit of a problem if her husband arrives sooner than I expect he will. Shall I explain on our way back to your manse?"

"Oh." Ranma shook his head. "Well, okay…I guess. So, uhm, explain away."

"You are a martial artist, yes? Your duty is to defend the weak, protect the helpless, and so on and so forth. As a Solar Exalt, that duty has not changed one bit…but as you are much more powerful, so both your responsibilities and your challenges grow accordingly. You were made to fight and win against things greater than gods, Lord Ranma."

"That's, uh, kind of hard to swallow…"

"Yet it is true. You feel that in your bones, do you not? Knowing that, you will understand why I tell you that there is a great threat coming. Call it a great evil if you wish, or chaos or darkness or whatever metaphor you prefer. You and the other Exalts, if you stand together against it, will fulfill your duty to the utmost."

"You mean…"

"Defend the world you love, Lord. That is what is required of you. It will not be easy." She smiled. "But then, it seems that nothing worth winning ever comes without a good struggle. Is this not true?"

"Yeah, I guess…hey, Lalita?"

"Yes, Sword of the Dawn?"

"Argh…stupid titles…you and Urvasi are sisters, right?"

"Among other things, yes."

"How many of you are there? Just out of curiosity, I mean."

Lalita thought about this in silence, a frown of concentration making her look even cuter than before. Finally, she beamed up at him.

"I don't know. We've never counted. I don't think we've ever considered it very important, and Mother's never said. But there are probably twelve of us. Probably."

Ranma lapsed into an uneasy silence for the duration of their walk, and eventually they arrived at the _toji_ that marked their destination. Glatisant's chosen haunt had once been a tiny Shinto shrine only a few blocks from a city park. Before Urvasi had carried him there the other morning, Ranma had never given it more than a cursory glance—he usually had other things on his mind, like Akane's mallet or the Kunos or rampaging Amazons. And now it was going to be his home…his Manse.

"I should prepare you, Lor…uhm, Ranma. While Mother has used the shrine that was once here as her starting point, she has made a few pleasing alterations to the design. It should now be a more fitting place for your governing council to meet."

"Gover-what?"

"Governing council. Surely you do not intend mortals to continue without your wisdom and guidance?"

Ranma didn't answer her beyond a mumbled denial that he ever even considered the possibility. Instead, he allowed himself to be dragged through the _toji_.

What he saw after passing through the gateway defied all logic. A temple mound that would not have fit in a normal city block now rose before him, topped by a great palatial temple that gleamed as if carved from a single block of shimmering white stone. Surrounding that were vast, ornate gardens and orchards…an entire city park somehow crammed into a tiny back lot! Just trying to imagine how this was possible made his head swim.

"How…?"

"Mother took advantage of the lack of local constraints," Lalita giggled. "The old gods are sleeping, so she did not need to ask for their permission. When they awaken, of course, they will surely respect your rights…all has been done tastefully and according to the traditions of the First Age, O Son of the Dawn. Permit me the honor of showing you around your new home."

Lalita gave him the grand tour, which took almost an hour, before leaving him to his thoughts in the grand entrance hall. It was a lot to take in, all at once. For most of his life, he'd had a tent or a bedroll in lieu of a home. And now he had this manse. It was huge. It was lavish. It was overwhelming! And he was utterly confused. Governing council? Reawakening gods? And now this palace!

He wandered about, wonder-struck at the strange twists of fortune that had brought him to this. Eventually, in the gardens, he came upon Nabiki, who was watching the clouds drift along.

"Hey, Nabiki."

"Ranma."

"Listen, uhm, about your exaltation, there's something you might wanna know before you…"

Nabiki turned and gave him a wry grin as she brushed her bangs back from her forehead to display the caste mark.

"Oh."

"You were right; Exaltation _is_ hard to describe! And it's incredible! But what was it you were in a hurry to tell me just now?"

"I met another one of Glatisant's daughters. She says her name's Lalita. An' she told me some stuff about…what we are. I thought you'd wanna know about the fine print before ya took the plunge, that's all. Not that it matters anymore, since…"

Nabiki patted the ground beside her. Ranma sat.

"We were made for war, Nabiki. We were meant to fight a war on behalf of the gods, against opponents they were forbidden to touch directly. Whaddya wanna bet…"

"That our power was not granted to us for free? No bet, Ranma-kun! No hero I ever heard about got given godlike powers just to sit around and enjoy life." Nabiki laughed quietly. "Mere wish fulfillment would be an inefficient use of resources. I figured that much out before I accepted my new gift."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in. I know I ain't the brightest guy around, but…"

"Cut the crap: you're just very tightly focused. Not to mention that Genma never really allowed you to learn how to deal with people!" The girl smiled and patted his arm. "That's one of my best-developed skills. There is a certain style of logic to our Exaltations, Son of the Dawn. So just let me do most of the thinking and all of the talking, and everything will go just fine!"

Ranma tried hard not to smile at that, but she grinned at him. After a moment he broke out into sheepish laughter. She joined him. For a few pleasant minutes, they simply enjoyed mutual amusement.

"How much do you remember?"

"Just odd bits and pieces, Ranma-kun. I remember that we were pretty close. We were friends. I was even at your wedding. Siobhan used to tease me about being her competition."

"And were you? Her competition, I mean."

She shook a finger at him. "You'll just have to remember that part of it yourself, Ranma-kun! How about your memories? Are they returning, yet?"

"I guess. I was daydreaming, kinda, about the first time I met Glatisant. We were playing something like _shogi_. She kept resigning after one move." Ranma shook his head. "There's a lesson in there someplace if I can figure it out."

"That woman is just full of surprises." Nabiki laughed. "And so am I. And as much as you try to hide it, so are you." She paused, sobered, glanced at him, and abruptly changed the subject. "Will you still want my help in handling the Ukyo situation?"

Ranma hung his head and sighed. It wasn't as if he could deny the need after asking her in the first place.

"…yeah..."

Nabiki nodded firmly. "Okay, then. The first and most obvious solution would be going ahead with the marriage. Have you considered taking her as a second wife? I've got a feeling that your new pet tiger won't mind much. Since Ukyo is still legally male, we could have her marry your girl side if we had to."

"I can't do that to her! She would never be more than an afterthought…and she…she deserves better than that." Ranma frowned. "Oh, I have no doubt that she and Siobhan would get along all right. Ukyo doesn't seem to mind the curse, and she was a good friend and all…but I can't marry her. Not like this. It wouldn't be fair. She deserves someone all her own."

Nabiki screwed her face up in thought. "Always playing second fiddle to Siobhan, you mean. All right, no secondary wife status…although personally I think you should let her decide what's fair and unfair to her. What else?"

"You mean you need more? Uhm, how about…what do I have to offer her? She's a successful businesswoman with a bright career. I'm…well, whatever it is a Solar is going to do these days."

"God-King of Eastern Asia, probably."

"Don't be a smartass, 'Biki! I'm serious!"

"So am I. But you're quite correct to say that your long-term goals are incompatible. What else?"

"Uhm." Ranma shifted uneasily. "I don't know. It isn't like I was actually asked if I wanted her to marry me! I thought she was a boy, remember? But she _is_ the only one of my fiancées to seek my hand of her own will. And you know how that turned out--I was never told about the engagement, the _yattai_ was never turned over to us as a couple, and Pops left her behind anyway."

"So…it was a coerced contract made in bad faith. I can work with that. Now, how much are you willing to yield to her?"

"She can have Pops on a plate. Hells Below, I'd give her the Saotome family honor blade if it were still mine to present! It ain't enough, but…"

"How about kids?"

Ranma goggled at his circle-mate. "Say what!"

"If she demands a child, would you give her one?"

"NO! I mean, no. Absolutely not! I'm not gonna make Ucchan suffer the additional loss of honor for bein' a single mom, plus have to raise my kid without me to help, plus all the rest. And that's that!"

Nabiki sighed. "That's not much of an offer, especially considering what your resources are going to be shortly. Let me think about it and I'll see what I can do to help you resolve this."

"I can't give her those ten years back."

Nabiki thought for a moment. "No, you can't. But you're not a Saotome anymore: Genma disowned you. Half of Nerima probably heard him do it, too. So you're off the hook as far as that goes. You said so yourself…and something tells me that you're above and beyond all that _ronin_ crap right now. You have a very compelling reason to ignore that sort of petty bullshit." She grinned. "And here she comes now."

Siobhan stalked across the gardens toward them, her face troubled. She gave Nabiki a half-hearted smile and wave. Stopping just shy of Ranma, she knelt before her husband.

"The Amazons have renounced their claim. They are under my protection so long as they leave peaceably and do not return." For a moment, it looked like the massive blonde was going to add something else, but she held her tongue.

"I see," Ranma nodded. "And they had to be convinced to see reason?"

Siobhan nodded mutely.

"Well, that makes two problems down and a zillion left to go." Ranma grinned at his wife and leaned over to hug her. "Nabiki and I were trying to figure out how to handle Ucchan. Would you care to add your wisdom?"

They recapped their conversation. Siobhan nodded solemnly as she listened. Her expression grew sad when Ranma recounted the tale of betrothal and betrayal once again, but her final answer took both Solars by surprise:

"Forget her," the Lunar said firmly. "If you will not take her as a second wife, nor care to sire her children, then she is not your concern. If her sire will not accept that you are no longer part of his foolish agreement with a known thief, that is _his_ problem rather than either hers or yours."

"But…"

"But nothing, husband. You cannot solve every problem! Not with your fists, nor with your head…and more than most, you were ill prepared to handle your own life. Surely the Eclipse knows this?"

Nabiki sighed and nodded. "Genma did him no favors, that's for sure. It's almost like he planned to screw you up so badly you'd never get out from under…his…thumb…_kami_, that's what he wanted, isn't it? What they both…" She stood up, her mouth set in a thin line of sudden fury. "Will you two pardon me? I need to go have a few discrete words with Tendo Soun."

"With your father, you mean?"

Nabiki's eyes narrowed. "Depending on how this goes, Ranma-kun, I might not be calling him that any longer." She walked away slowly, calling back over her shoulder. "I'll see you two later. Don't wait up."

Once Nabiki was out of sight, Ranma pulled himself into Siobhan's arms and gave a sad sigh. Sensing his need, she held him.

"Is there nothing in my life I haven't damaged beyond repair because of that fat fool and his stupid promises," he finally asked. "Besides you, I mean?"

Siobhan smiled, but before she could answer a familiar voice called out to them. Turning, they found Glatisant, Urvasi, and Lalita standing near the gates. The mother and her daughters bowed to them, and Glatisant spoke.

"Lord and Lady, we will now take our leave. There is work to be done, and we will accomplish less if we linger as long as we would prefer."

"Uh, okay. You're always welcome to come back, you know." Ranma rubbed the back of his neck. "Before you go, would you answer a question for me?"

Glatisant beamed. "But of course!"

"Listen, I remember that game. You know, at that party. You kept conceding…"

Right after the first move, time and again…every day for a week he met the strange woman and played another match, and every day she conceded without making a move of her own. Then one day she waited until she had made five moves to quit. And the next day she played him to a draw. It was frustrating, maddening…and the worst part was the feeling that she was trying to impart a lesson that he just couldn't grasp…

Glatisant's smile grew as she watched his face, knowing that he was remembering the entire series of games.

"Do you understand now, Lord?"

"You didn't know how to play!"

Glatisant gave her musical laugh and blushed slightly. "This is true. I did not."

"So you were testing me, just not at my skill with _shogi_."

Glatisant clapped her hands and giggled brightly.

"Instead of becoming angry and storming off or trying to bully me, as so many others would have, you kept at the task. The answer was that there was no answer. And yet you found one. That is why I chose you for my greatest work." She spread her hands wide. "Someday soon I may explain everything to you, but not just now. There is work to be done! Your full circle and their Lunar spouses are waiting to be re-awakened. My daughters and I must go and find them so that they shall stand by your side in the troubles to come."

"I don't suppose you'll give us more of a hint than that," Siobhan chuckled.

"Where would the fun be in that, Favored of Luna?" Glatisant stooped and whispered to Urvasi. When she straightened up, she and Lalita bowed again. "Fare you well, Lord and Lady. We'll send word as soon as we can…and if not word, look for your circle-mates. You will know them easily enough when they arrive, I should think."

As mother and one daughter made their way out, Urvasi remained behind. Shifting nervously from foot to foot, she shot the Solar and Lunar a nervous glance.

"What is it, 'Vasi-chan?"

"There is one thing, Daybringer. Until now, you have but lived another's story: one carved in stone by those who used you for their own ends. That tale ended the day I found you and gave you Mother's gifts. Now you will make your own tales, Daybringer. And…I would hope someday soon to see what you might make of this freedom. Fare you well."

She blushed, bowed deeply, and hurried away, leaving the two lovers in each other's arms.

"I think she _likes_ you," Siobhan laughed. "Some day, I might even let her join us in bed."

"I think she likes everybody," Ranma blushed. "I wonder what she meant by that bit about tales carved in stone?" He snuggled in closer. "I suppose we'll just have to find out."

"Aye, that we will." Siobhan kissed the top of his head. "And as she says that path will be of our making as much as of our choosing."

"There's trouble coming, you know…"

"Aye."

"You will stand with me?"

She kissed him again, this time on the lips. "Even against the gods themselves, love! Though the Loom of Fate is weighed against me, I will not leave your side again."

"Uhm, you know…you keep doing that and I, uhm, might just…you know. Do it back."

With a sudden grin, Siobhan stood up, still cradling him in her arms.

"What ever shall I do with you, cub?"

Ranma blushed, fought down the impulse to say something stupid and macho, and instead looped his arms around her neck.

"I'm still not ready. Not for everything. But for here and now, this is what I want. Does that make sense?"

She kissed him a third time and set him down. Taking his hand in hers, she led him in from the gardens.

"It is a start. And a good one, I think. Now come on. I'll race you to the _furo_."

With laughter and joy, Ranma followed his Lunar wife inside.

End Cestus Sol Arc One

Author's Notes

And that's a wrap, at least for the first story arc. Why? Well, after this point, this would no longer be a Ranma story so much as an Exalted story. There are tons of loose ends still flapping about, which is intentional. This was never envisioned as a 'solve all problems' fanfic…simply because there are too many problems in Ranma's life that cannot be solved by conventional means! Yet for every Gordian Knot, there is an Alexandrian solution, and in Ranma's case that's exactly what his Exaltation has become. And while this is _it_ as far as my original outline goes, Siobhan and Ranma will be back in the future.

There is a side story planned in which we find out how Glatisant did what she did, and why. It also stars Sailor Pluto for reasons that will become clear. There may be other side stories in the future if my muses quit playing seven-card stud poker in the back room long enough to help me out…but no promises.

Finally, my apologies to everyone who had hoped to see this chapter much, much earlier. I plead guilty to several counts of real world distractions in the third degree. It sat on my hard drive through about five rounds of editing, two re-writes, and a lot of second-guessing. It still isn't 'perfect', but everyone's waited on me long enough.


End file.
